Evangelion: You Do (Not) Belong
by Alex The Animator
Summary: God. If you can hear me, please answer this prayer. I know I've complained constantly about my time at home. But I never wanted to end up here! I want this all to be a bad dream. I want to see my brother again! So please, send me home! I don't belong here. In the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit. Amen. (Rated T upon suggestion. Will change it back to M if needed)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Home

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.**

I sit in a dimly lit classroom, occasionally looking at the movie being played for us students. Using my arm, I keep my head from slamming into the desk due to lack of energy. I briefly scan the room and see students either watching the movie or talking amongst themselves. It honestly bugs me how happy some of these kids are. Even though most of them never bothered me personally, I know how they are. They are the kind of people that thinks fucking some slut makes you hot shit. These people pretend to be your friends only to knock you down for amusement. They're scum, and it pisses me off how these kinds of people are allowed to be happy.

 **. . .**

What am I doing? I should be enjoying the movie, not thinking about those idiots. I should be happy that Ms. Ferron chose a movie over handouts! Granted, it was The Hunchback of Notre Dame in the French language, but it beats working. She says it will help improve our french. But if you ask me, I think she ran out of classwork ideas. So why am I so . . .bitter?

Beep!

The school bell snaps me back to reality. Ms. Ferron pauses the movie and turns the lights back on. Despite not giving my full attention to the movie, I'm a bit disappointed it ended abruptly. It was just getting good.

"Alright class," she says in her subtle accent, "On your way out, grab the worksheets resting on the stool near the door."

The class lets out a collective groan.

"Oh stop complaining," she scolds the class, "These worksheets will be due at the beginning of class and I will not be accepting late work. So do not bother turning in the assignment the day after."

Great! More work I'll put off till last minute.

Ms. Ferron dismisses the class. I immediately grab my stuff, the worksheets, and head out the door. I initially plan on traveling through the halls as quickly as possible but stop when I hear someone call out to me. I turn around to see a girl casually walking in my direction.

She's shorter than me. I think she only goes up to my chest. She has short brunette hair and glasses resting on the bridge of her nose. She's also wearing this ridiculously cute smile; not that I'd say that out loud. It's Jade. Of course, who else would it be?

I wait patiently for her to catch up to me. When she is within talking distance, I ask her to walk with me. She agrees. Whatever she wants to talk about we can do that on our way to the bus station.

She asks how my day was. I force a smile and tell her "It was fine, I guess."

I hate doing that.

Her face molds into a frown as she looks up to me. "Are you okay?"

Crap! My smile must have not looked genuine. She probably thinks I don't want to talk to her. I put more effort into my performance and add a chuckle for good measure.

"Yeah, I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be?" I say in the most convincing way possible. Jade's frown turns into a small smile. But I can still see concern etched on her face. "Soooo. Did you just want to ask how my day was or. . ."

"Hmm? Oh!" She apparently remembered something. "I just wanted to remind you to actually finish your homework this time."

Really?

"Is that it?" The question gets her all worked up.

"What do you mean 'Is that it?'" she looks me dead in the eye, "You've been forgetting to turn in your work for a while now."

"Okay MOOOM," I say mockingly. Was it really that obvious?

"I'm serious Michael," she says, "It's not just french class. I noticed you didn't turn in last week's math project." She lets out a long sigh, "If you keep this up you're going to fail both french and math."

It never ceases to amaze me how nice she is. She's genuinely worried about me. Why? The very idea that someone thinks I'm worth their time is confusing. I don't know how to react, so I laugh. She probably thinks I'm being an ass.

"What's so funny?" she asks.

"Nothing," I tell her, "It's. . . just nice to see that you care." I try to sound sarcastic, but that's kinda hard to do when you're being sincere. Jade responds by rolling her eyes.

"Anyway. If you have any trouble with the worksheet, just meet me tomorrow morning in the lunchroom."

"Alright. I'll think about it." That's a lie.

Satisfied with my answer she gives me a hug. I'll never get use to that. Fortunately, my dark skin color makes it difficult to tell if I'm blushing. I awkwardly reciprocate the gesture by having one arm pat her on the back. She let's go and bids me farewell. We then go our separate ways.

Why is she friends with me? It's not like I don't enjoy her company. It's just. . .I don't see what she sees in me. I remember the first time we met. It was a year ago and we were in some class involving computers. We worked together a few times but that's it. I honestly thought she'd forget about me as soon as we moved to the next grade. But. . . she didn't. When we met again, she greeted me like an old friend. I once entertained the idea that she liked me but immediately dismissed it. She has a boyfriend and I'm no prince charming. So why does she keep hanging around? Could it be pity? It's not unlikely. But if she genuinely likes me for me then. . .well it doesn't matter. She may be one of the few people I can tolerate, but it doesn't change what will eventually happen. My friendships don't last, and honestly, it's for the better. I quicken my pace. If I don't hurry someone will take my seat.

Home. Perhaps that's why I'm so bitter.

* * *

I'm one of the first kids to enter the bus. I'm glad I decided to hustle. Being stuck at the back is not something I enjoy. The kids back there are usually loud and act like complete retards. I sit in my usual spot, which is directly behind the bus driver. Rule of thumb, the closer you are to the bus driver, the further you are from the chaos. Just as I'm about to get settled, somebody sits next to me. I hate it when people do that. I'm about to give this person the death glare when I realized who it was.

The guy's taller than me, even when sitting down. His skin tone is slightly lighter than mine; sort of caramel colored. He's wearing a black, long sleeved shirt along with blue jeans. The short afro on his head has a hair pick sticking out of it, which is something I think looks stupid.

"Shane?" surprise evident in my voice.

My brother turns to me and shows a toothy grin. "Sup."

"What are you doing here?" I ask, "Don't you have practice after school?"

"Coach's sick today," he explains, "Since we don't have a substitute, the team gets to go home early."

This slightly elevates my mood. I shift my weight against the window and tell Shane to wake me when we get home.

"You got the keys?" asks Shane.

Not this again.

"Of course I got the keys! What kind of question is that!?"

"Calm down. I'm just asking," he says casually, "We don't want a repeat of last time?"

"That was ONE time!" I say while irritated. He's referring to a time when I tried to break into the house. I resorted to that option because I left my keys inside. So I tried to break in by picking the lock with two small twigs. I didn't get far with that attempt. What made it worse was the neighbors almost called the cops. If Shane hadn't gotten home when he did, I might've ended up in big trouble. He's been holding that one incident over my head ever since.

Shane responds to my irritation with laughter. I throw a few playful jabs his way. He counters with a headlock. I hate how he has the height advantage, even though I'm the older brother. After our "fight", and a few wordy insults, Shane let's me get some sleep. The rest of the trip is uneventful.

When the bus stops on our street, Shane wakes me up. I let out an irritated groan but stayed awake despite myself. The two of us gets off the bus and walk home.

While on our short walk, Shane and I talk about our time at school. I give him the general run down of my day. You know, things like "The classes were boring" or "The cafeteria food still tastes like shit". Shane had a particularly interesting day. Apparently, some kid was walking around school asking if anyone had weed on them. That's just dumb. Why would you ask for drugs in a place you can easily get caught? We continue our conversation until we reach the front door of the house. Home.

Seeing the front door sucks any enthusiasm I have out of my body. There's a car in the house's driveway. So no doubt **she's** home. A sigh escapes me as I dig into my left pocket. I pull out the keys and insert it into the door lock. I inhale deeply through my nose and force a smile. I open the door.

It's quiet. Odd, usually the television is blaring some religious channel. I walk into the living room and no one's there. The tv is showing some guy in a suit, holding what is no doubt a bible. But the volume is actually manageable for once. Could mom be asleep?

"I don't think mom's home," Shane says.

That could be possible. Her work vehicle's still here, but she could've taken the other car she uses to travel. The only way to know is to check the garage. But to get there I'll have to walk past her room. I'm not going anywhere near there. Not after was **she** accused me of doing.

Shane says he'll go check the garage. I'm initially worried, I can't help it. But I eventually decide he'll be fine, even if mom was home. I know some might think it's silly to worry about walking past someone's room. But after the things I've been accused of doing, I'm not willing to take any chances. Shane is sort of mom's favorite, so she won't bother him. Not that I'm jealous. Actually, I'm glad he doesn't have to experience what I experienced.

"Mom's not home!" yells Shane from the garage.

A wave of relief cascades across my body. I don't have to put on an act now that I know she's gone. Judging from the fact she took her travel vehicle instead of her work one. I predict we have an hour or two of freedom. I intend to make the most of the time we have. My brother grabs the remote and changes the channel to watch cartoons. I go to my room to grab my laptop. When I return to the living room, I sit down and load up kissanime.

"Hey," Shane looks in my direction, "Wanna watch Evangelion 3.0?"

Shane pauses for a moment. He shakes his head and says "Naw. Not right now."

"Seriously? We might not another chance to watch it."

"We'll watch it when mom leaves for work." Shane suggests. Like that'll ever happen. She leaves at 10pm and I'm usually asleep by then. I could watch the movie without him. But decide against it. I know it's a bit silly, but I feel the need to do everything with my brother. Even the most trivial things. I guess it's to compensate for my lack of friends.

Instead of watching the 3.0 movie, I decide to do a bit more research on Neon Genesis. Maybe one day I'll actually watch the series instead of getting second hand knowledge. But for now, I'll just watch another review on why Evangelion is so "deep".

An hour passes and we hear the garage door opening. I put away my laptop and Shane changes the channel to a nature documentary. Mom enters the living room carrying groceries.

She's a tall woman and is a bit on the rough looking side. She's wearing what looks like traditional african clothing. You know the ones, the long dress with a colorful cloth covering the hair. Those kinds of clothes. There's an exhausted look on her face. Then again, she always looks exhausted.

"Boys" she calls out to us, "Could you help me with the groceries?"

"Okay mom," the both of us respond.

Shane takes the groceries mom already was carrying to the kitchen. I go to the garage to get the rest of the groceries. When we're done helping, she asks how our day was and we give the appropriate answer. "School was great", we both say in false enthusiasm. I **hate** doing that.

She in turn gives us a smile that reeks of insincerity, "That's good to hear."

Mom tells us she's tired and goes to her room. Shane and I take a seat on a couch. We sit there in silence.

I don't feel so good. My stomach feels like it's done a one-eighty. My arms are stone. My breath, fire. My eyes can't seem to focus on one thing and my brain is speaking an unknown language. I can't stay here.

"I'm going outside." I tell Shane.

"Why?" he asks.

"I just need to walk for a bit. If mom asks where I am, tell her I'm jogging around the park." I grab my keys and put on my black hoodie. "I'll probably be back in thirty minutes. The tv's yours till then." I exit the house and locked the door.

* * *

The neighborhood is quiet as usual. Every once in awhile there'll be dogs barking at one another or lawn mowers cutting grass. But the neighborhood always returned to silence. That's what I love about the suburbs. There's rarely needless noise. Usually I'd take the time to appreciate how peaceful it is here. How people usually mind their own business. How every once in awhile, you'll see someone riding a horse down the the road. How if you were patient, you'd get to spot owls, deer or even the occasional coyote. But lately, I've being taking in the scenery less and less. Right now, I'm just trying to make this feeling go away. This horrible feeling.

I wander into a park that's particularly woody. My brother and I would always call this place "The Forest", though it's not an accurate title. Sure this park had a lot of trees that made for some good hiding spots. But it doesn't deserve the title Shane and I gave it. I walk towards a spot where there's a higher volume of trees. I leaned against one of them and closed my eyes.

I stay in that area for god knows how long. But that feeling won't go away. It's aggravating, and it's making me think about things I don't want to think about. Mainly about how different things were four years ago. A time when my mother and I got along. When she wouldn't make me feel like shit. When I could feel more than bitterness and anger. When she wouldn't go into a damn rant about how I'm going to hell for things I never did! A time when cartoons weren't considered evil, and a scary movie was just a scary movie. A time when my brother didn't have to cry because he couldn't stand what I was going through. A time when-

My vision's getting blurry. Am I crying? Dammit! I immediately wipe the tears away. The feeling isn't going away. It's only getting stronger. My insides are growing rocks. My skin turns to ice and my mind's far away. There's nothing in my head or heart except raw, primal emotions. Sadness, despair, and disgust are just a few swirling around inside me. The strongest emotion at the moment. . .is anger.

This anger burns my nerves and stains my vision. I couldn't keep it in this time. I let out a primal scream, as if declaring to the world that I've had enough! I let out my frustration on the nearest thing available. A tree. I'm punching it, kicking it, tearing off the damn bark! My body's moving on its own! It won't stop until something pays for all the torment I had to deal with! I'm no longer there, I'm in a place that has no name or discernible location. When I return, my body stops hitting the tree. My arms and legs are bruised. But for some reason, I feel slightly better.

After a few rounds of breathing I look to see if anyone saw what I did. At first it seems like the coast is clear, but then I look further. Between two trees at a distance is a kid. The guy is pretty far away, but I can tell he's staring at me. He's wearing some kind of school uniform, I think. It's kind of hard to tell at this distance. He looks to be my age. I suddenly become embarrassed, no doubt he saw me going mental. But why is he just standing there, and why do I feel like I've seen him before? No. . .that can't be-

Snap!

A branch falls and nearly hits me. This cause me to momentarily look away from the person staring. When I confirm that the thing that fell was indeed a branch, I look back at the kid. Only, there's no one there. He must've run off. Well, it's probably about time for me to get home.

I walk out of the park. I pause and stare back at the place where I saw that kid. No sign of him. I continue walking.

* * *

There's no way I've been out here that long! It's already getting dark! It must be six or seven by now! How did this happen? I'm pretty sure I've only been out here for an hour. I better get home quickly. Mom's probably gonna yell at me, but I could care less.

Something's wrong. I don't know what it is, but something feels. . .off. I'm running now. I don't know why, but it feels like if I don't get home as fast as possible, it'll be too late.

While attempting to cross the street, I see a bright light coming towards me. Crap, it's a car! I try running faster but the "car's" too quick. The light collides with me and I'm in immediate pain. My skin feel like it's on fire. My insides are being crushed. Oh god! Is this how I die?

I can see nothing but white. The brightness is burning my eyes. The light consumes my body until there's nothing left. The world goes dark.

Sirens.

That's that's the first thing my conscious mind picks up. Opening my eyes is a struggle. My eyes initially refuse to comply to my demands, but they eventually relent. The world's all blurry. But I can make out a few things. There's fire on the streets and twisted metal everywhere. The road looks a bit different and. . . are those buildings? Where the hell am I?

I try to get up but my body isn't listening to me. I scan the area once more. I think my mind's playing tricks on me because I see what looks like a giant metal arm. My eyelids are getting heavy. I don't think I'll be able to stay conscious. The world is fading away as my mind shuts down. Why does this place seem. . .familiar?

* * *

Author's Notes: Yes, this is my first time writing fan-fiction. Though, if I'm being honest, I'm proud of the end result (even if it might be riddled with mistakes). The idea for this story just popped into my head one day. Unlike any other idea I had (which would fade into obscurity), this one wouldn't fuck off. So to appease the little devil, I wrote this. I might continue writing the story if things go well. So, tell me what you think and have a good day.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Welcome to the World

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.**

"Get me out of this thing! It hurts! Oh god it hurts!"

That voice. It. . .it sounds familiar.

"It burns! Somebody make it stop! ! ! ! !"

Why can't I recall where I heard that voice before? My mind's all fuzzy.

"Make it stop! Please!"

Who is he? What's happening to him?

He needs help, right? Is there something I can do to help?

"Can anyone hear me! ! ?"

I can. . . can I?

 **. . .**

My mind's all fuzzy.

"Misato! Father! Someone! Anyone! Please help me! My skin is burning! Oh god! Everything smells like blood! I'm going to die! ! !"

He's going to cry? Don't cry.

 **. . .**

My soul hurts.

"WHY WON'T SOMEBODY HELP MEEEEEEEEEEE! ! ! ! ! ? ?

* * *

Beep! . . . Beep! . . . Beep!

Shit! Everything hurts. What happened to me? It feels like my whole body was put in an oven.

Beep! . . . Beep! . . . Beep!

Why is everything so dark? Are my eyes closed? It feels like they are.

I attempt to open my eyes but am met with immediate pain. Dammit! Why does everything hurt? And what is in my right arm? It feels unnatural. Oh god! Someone stuck something in me! Where the hell am I?

Beep! Beep! Beep!

What's making that noise? It got faster all of a sudden. It sounds like a . . . heart monitor? Does this mean I'm in a hospital? If that's the case, then the thing in my right arm is an IV line.

The pain begins to fade away. As this happens, I once again attempt to open my eyes. But I'm having trouble doing this. My eyelids feel like lead, and it takes more effort than needed to move them. When they finally open, all I see is a cloudy white mess. The fuzzy mess eventually morphs into a white ceiling.

Yep. Definitely a hospital.

How did I get here? The last thing I remember was walking home and. . . seeing a white light. Did I get hit by a car?

"So, you are awake."

Huh? There's someone else here. A nurse most likely. Maybe she can fill me in on my condition?

I attempt to sit upright but stop when something snags my wrists. Confused, I take a quick look at my right arm. It's handcuffed to the bed railing.

Why the hell am I cuffed to the bed?! Did I commit a crime I'm unaware of?! What the hell is going on?!

"Can you understand me?" asks a voice lacking emotion.

I turn to the person speaking prepared to give her a piece of my mind. I freeze. What the hell is this?

A young asian girl, probably my age, is sitting on a wooden chair near my bed. She's wearing what looks like a light-blue japanese school girl uniform. She's covered in bandages, and her right arm's in a cast supported by a sling. But her most standout features is the pale skin, the light-blue hair, and her crimson red eyes.

Why is there someone dressed like an anime character in a room with me?

"Can you understand me?" the girl repeats calmly.

I nod dumbly.

Satisfied with my answer, she gets out of her chair and proceeds to walk out of the room.

"Hey!" the girl stops. She's not going anywhere until she answers a few questions! "Who are you?! Where the hell am I?! And why am I cuffed to the bed?!"

The blue haired girl looks in my direction. " I am Rei Ayanami. You are in the hospital wing of Nerv Headquarters. The reason for your restraints is to prevent escape."

Rei Ayanami? Nerv Headquarters? What is this girl on?

"Is this some kind of joke?" I ask, "You're too old for make believe so quit fucking around! Now tell where I am and how I got here or I'll-"

"Nerv officials will be with you shortly," says "Rei", seemingly unaffected by my outburst. She leaves the room and shuts the door.

Dammit! The bitch just ignored me!

Okay, calm down and think. Am I being abducted? If so, why? If the kidnapper (or kidnappers) plan to use me for ransom, they got the wrong guy. If they wanted real money they should've chosen someone who matters. Also, what's up with that girl calling herself Rei? Why did she say I was at Nerv Headquarters? None of this is making sense! It's like I'm having a wierd dream!

 **. . .**

Wait a minute, am I dreaming? That must be it, I'm asleep! No one in their right mind would even think about abducting me so this must be a dream! Though, everything seems so. . .vivid. I hadn't had dreams this vivid in a long time. Still, it's the only explanation that makes sense.

I inhale deeply as I shift my weight to get comfortable.

I might as well play along and see where this dream's headed. Who knows, things might get interesting.

 **. . .**

I'm bored.

* * *

The sound of a door opening catches my attention. I look on my right to see a nurse and two tall men in suits. The nurse walks to my bedside and removes the IV from my arm. Much to my surprize, it didn't hurt at all. Thank goodness for that. She puts a bandage over the exposed area and leaves the room.

The two men walk over to my bedside. One of them is holding a key which slightly elevates my mood.

The guy holding the key looks at my cuffs then back to me.

"You better not cause us any trouble," says the man, "You understand?"

I nod.

The man unlocks the cuffs, freeing my hands.

"Get up," says the other man.

I do as I'm told and get out of bed. As I'm doing this, I feel a slight draft between my legs. I look down to see I'm wearing a hospital gown. Of course they took my clothes. Dammit.

The man then slaps brand new handcuffs on my wrists.

"Hey!" I snap at him. He ignores me and commands me to follow him. The other man walks behind me, blocking off a possible escape route.

Great, I guess I have no choice. I let out a sigh and decide to play "follow the leader".

We're walking in a single file line down an endless hallway. The guy in front leads the way while the guy in the back watches over me. Escape doesn't seem possible.

What the hell do they want with me? I try questioning these "agents" but they keep ignoring me. It's pissing me off! Why can't they answer one goddamn question?!

After what seems like forever, we approach a door. One of the men opens the door and leads me inside. Inside is a small room with a metal table in the middle of it. The table has two metal chairs near it, one on each side. One part of the room has metal pipes sticking out of the walls, probably leads to a ventilation shaft. The other part of the room has a large rectangular mirror. There's no doubt in my mind that it's a one-way mirror. The room itself is dimly lit. The only source of light hangs directly above the metal table. The man who led me inside leaves the room then locks the door. I once again scan the area and come to a conclusion. This place is an interrogation room.

After a few minutes of pacing around, I decide to take a seat in one of the chairs.

It's as uncomfortable as it looks.

I rest my head against my cuffed hands and wait. How long will I have to sit here?

Few minutes later, the door opens. The person who walks in is wearing glasses and a lab coat. She has shoulder length blonde hair. Though, it looks like she dyed her hair to make it look that color. Underneath the lab coat is a blue uniform. The woman's also sporting a short black skirt along with see-through leggings.

Another realistic Evangelion character. Though, I don't remember her name. I think it starts with an "r".

"Good morning," greets the blonde haired woman as she takes a seat, "The agents didn't give you a hard time did they?"

"No," I respond, "They just wouldn't answer my questions."

The woman smiles. "I can understand how frustrating it can be to not know what is happening. You will get your answers soon enough."

But. . .?

"But first you'll have to answer a few questions," she says. Of course. Well, it's not like I have anything to hide.

The woman pulls out a recorder and a clipboard. She presses a button on the recording device and speaks. "I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Dr. Akagi and I will be asking you a series of questions." She pulls out a pen and writes something down on her clipboard. "Please state your first name, last name, and age."

Seems reasonable. "My first name is Michael. My last name is Hart. I am currently fourteen years old."

"Hmmm," her smile widens a bit as she writes down the information I gave her. Did I say something funny? "Country of origin?"

"The United States of America."

"State?"

"Texas."

"Race?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I reply dryly.

"Please answer the question."

"Fine. African-American."

"Do you identify yourself as male or female?"

What the-

"What the hell is THAT suppose to mean!?"

"I meant no offence," Dr. Akagi explains, "This is part of procedure."

"Hmph. Whatever." Let's just get this done. "I identify as male."

"Hmmm." She continues writing on her clipboard. "How long have you spoken japanese?"

"Japanese?" I question her. "What are you talking about? Aren't we both speaking engl-" I stop talking when I see a look of intrigue on her face.

"Interesting," she writes something down on her clipboard.

Odd, she thinks I'm speaking japanese. But it sounds like we're speaking english. Why would my mind tell me I'm speaking a different language? Heh, maybe I'm a Timelord here.

Dr. Akagi continues asking questions for the next hour. They usually revolved around where I came from and my psychology. At one point she gives me a series of tests to measure my mental health. One of the tests involved showing me a series of black blots and asking what I saw. I think it's called the rorschach test.

The constant questioning and testing is pissing me off! Not once did she answer a question of mine! Whenever I would ask a question not test related or off topic Dr. Akagi would say "You will get your answers soon enough".

"So Michael. What was life at home li-"

Bang!

I slam my hands against the table and look her dead in the eye. "That's enough! I'm sick and tired of your questions and tests! Now you either tell me why I'm here or you let me go!"

Two agents walk into the room. I look at them and prepare myself for a fight. Dr. Akagi raises her hand, stopping the two agents. "It's alright," she states, "I can handle this." The suits look at me for a moment, then step out the room.

I look back at Dr. Akagi, clearly tired of her shit. "Now tell me what I need to know."

The woman sighs then takes off her glasses. "I'm not allowed to tell you anything until I can verify you aren't a threat."

"How the hell am I threat?!" I ask.

"It's difficult _not_ to see you as a threat," Dr. Akagi explains, "Especially when considering the circumstances of your arrival."

I'm getting real sick of her dodging my questions.

"I want to speak to your commander! Umm," Dammit! What was his name? "Gendo I-Ikari!" A look of shock spreads across the doctor's face. "If you want my continued cooperation then you'll let me speak to the commander!"

The doctor takes a moment to stare at me. It's like she's trying to read my mind. She crosses her arms then shakes her head. "I'll see what I can do." She leaves the room and shuts the door.

I don't know why I asked for Gendo. The guy seems like he'll be more tight-lipped than the doctor. That's just going by my knowledge of The Rebuilds. Guess there's no use worrying about it now. I rest my head against my hands and wait.

* * *

Click!

I sit up at the sound of an unlocking door and mentally prepare myself. A bunch of men in black suits walk through the door and line themselves against the wall. The next to come in is a man who looks to be in his fifties. He has grey hair and is wearing a dark-purple uniform. The man stands at attention next to a chair across from my end of the table. I think he's Gendo's right-hand man. Though I don't know his name.

The last person to come in looks a bit younger than the other guy. He wears a black military coat over what looks like a red turtleneck. Glasses rest on the bridge of his nose with amber-tinted lenses. There's no doubt about it. This man is Gendo Ikari.

Gendo takes a seat at the opposite end of the table. I briefly scan the room to evaluate my situation.

The room is crowded with all these agents in here. They all seem to be staring at me, though the black sunglasses they're wearing makes it difficult to tell. They're obviously here to protect Gendo so I better behave. I don't want to accidently piss these guys off.

"I heard you wanted to see me," says Gendo.

"Yeah," I say cautiously. "I have a few questions and nobody seems willing to answer them."

"I see," says Gendo. He rests his elbows on the table and clasps his hands together, fingers intertwined. "So you called me in hope of finding the answers you seek."

I nod.

Gendo pauses for a moment, then speaks. "Very well. I will tell you what you need to know. But first, you need to answer one question."

What? I'm getting real sick and tired of the constant questi-

"How much do you know about our world?" asks Gendo.

Huh? That's a new one.

"What makes you think I'm not from this world?" I ask.

"Let's just say you have certain attributes that should not exist." Now my curiosity is peaked. "Answer the question."

Oh man, where do I start?

I tell Gendo everything I know about this world. I talk about the Evangelions and the people who pilot them. I talk about what little I know about Nerv and the "Angels". I still find it odd how they call giant beasts of destruction Angels. That makes zero sense! Anyway, the only thing I left out was how I came across this information. I don't know how he'll react if I say "Yeah. Turns out there's a tv show and several movies about this world. Everything you know is something people watch for entertainment". Yeah, that probably won't end well.

"How did you gain this knowledge?" asks Gendo.

"No," I say sternly, "I answered one of your questions, now you answer one of mine?"

Gendo gives me an unreadable expression. Perhaps that's why he covers half his face with his hands. It makes it difficult to tell what he's thinking. "Very well. What is your question?"

Finally! "Why are you keeping me trapped here?"

"Simple," states Gendo, "I have a use for you."

"What?" I'm a bit shocked. "What the hell do you mean by that?!"

"I mean that you can be used to aid humanity," he states, "You will be the new pilot of Evangelion Unit-01."

The room goes silent.

Did I hear that right? Did he just say I'll be piloting a giant fighting robot? In any other situation I'd be ecstatic. But this isn't any situation. Even with my limited knowledge, I know piloting an Eva is a bad idea. Fucked up things happen to people who get into those robots.

My chest tightens. My breathing becomes irregular.

Why am I scared? I thought I already agreed that this is all a dream. I look at my hands and they're shaking. All the blood in my body turns to ice and I'm sweating. I need to move. My body doesn't want to stay still. I need to move, I need to run!

Dreams don't last this long. Do they?

"The fuck I am! ! !" I yell at Gendo. I don't care if the guards attack. Let them try to fuck with me. "Why the hell would I be a pilot!?"

Gendo, for his part, is unfazed by my outburst. "You ask as if you have a choice."

Is he fucking threatening me?

"Screw you!" I yell at him, "Why are you asking me to pilot YOUR son's Eva?!"

"So you're unaware," says Gendo. I'm unaware of what? "Three days ago, the former pilot of Unit-01 fought the third Angel. The Angel, in a fit of desperation, self-destructed. The explosion severely damaged Unit-01 and killed its pilot."

The room once again returns to silence.

This can't be right. That's impossible! Shinji's suppose to survive his first Angel encounter. He can't be dead!

My whole body's shaking. I don't know why? Something primal is telling me to run. To run as far as I can and never look back! But there's no escape. I'm completely surrounded. I want to wake up!

"W-what makes you think I can even pilot that thing?" I ask shakily.

"At the exact moment the Angel self-destructed, something unexpected happened." Gendo explains. "Our machines picked up energy levels not seen since the Second Impact. I assume you already know about the event in question."

I nod.

"When the sudden energy spike dissipated, Nerv personnel went to investigate. They found you in the middle of the Angel's detonation site, completely unscathed." What? Why don't I remember any of this? "Nerv personnel approached you and found you were in a comatose state. When they attempted to move you, Unit-01 moved on its own and attempted to grab you."

 **. . .**

Let me get this straight. Not only have I been asleep for the past three days. But Shinji's Eva tried to grab me for some unknown reason.

"So you think because **that** I can pilot it?" I ask.

"You have potential," he explains, "We will need run more tests to be sure."

I probably already know the answer to this, but I gotta ask. "Do you even care that your own son is dead?"

"Hmmm?"

"Shinji!" I yell at Gendo, "YOUR son! He died three days ago, yet you seem more concerned with finding a replacement!"

Gendo pauses for a moment. "My feelings towards the former pilot is none of your concern."

Gendo's not even using Shinji's name. It's like he only sees his son as an object, not as a living being! That honestly pisses me off!

I know Shinji is known as a coward, but he didn't deserve death. And he didn't deserve a jackass of a father who doesn't shed a tear at his own son's death!

"Fuck you." One of Gendo's eyebrows rise slightly. "I'm not going to pilot your stupid robot. Find someone else."

"Again, you act as if you have a choice," states Gendo, "I can't let you run free. You are an unknown entity with knowledge that can be used against Nerv. So, you will be a prisoner of Nerv. As a prisoner you have two options. You can either train to become an Eva pilot," he hardens his look, "Or you can choose to be a test subject."

Test subject? Those words bring up visions of horror. I honestly don't want to know what kind of "tests" I'll be subjected to. I scan the room to look for an escape, but there is none. The agents in the room are all staring at me. It's very unsettling.

Dammit! What can I do now?

"Fine," I say in defeat, "I'll be your pilot. But, only if you get your people to find a way for me to get home."

"I'll see what I can do," I can hear the smirk in his voice. He gets out of his seat and speaks to one of the agents. "Take the child to his living quarters."

"Yes sir." responds the agent.

Everyone leaves the room. The only ones left is me and one of the agents.

"Follow me," the agent commands, "I will take you to where you'll be living."

I let out a sigh and gesture for the agent to lead the way. This is really irritating.

* * *

I'm led to a white hallway. We pass by a few doors until we stop in front of the one the agent was looking for. The door looks real fancy. It's one of those doors that requires a key-card to open. The agent pulls out a card and puts to in front of the door's scanner. The door slides open and I'm led inside.

The room is completely white and doesn't have a window. There's a bed in one corner of the room with a grey plastic bag resting on it. At the other corner of the room is a desk and a single wooden chair. Next to the desk is a large mirror that looks recently cleaned.

The agent pulls out a key and removes the cuffs from my hands.

"Your personal belongings are in that grey bag," he explains, "There will be two agents outside your room at all times. So don't get any funny ideas. Do you understand?"

I nod and the agent leaves me alone.

I immediately remove my hospital gown and walk over to the grey bag. Let's see, there's a black hoodie, baggy jeans, a grey shirt, my blue hair-band, and my cross necklace. Thank goodness, all my stuff is here. I put on my clothes then go to the mirror. I pull back my shoulder length dreadlocks and tie them together with the blue hair-band. I then put on my cross necklace. Don't know what I'd do if I lost that.

I look at myself in the mirror. I look tired. It's been a long day and it's only going to get worst. I walk over to the bed and lie down. I close my eyes for a bit and drift off to sleep.

I really hope this is all a dream.

* * *

Author's notes: I could've chosen any story that would be easier to write. But noooooo, I had to choose Evangelion! Anyway, if you can see where this story's headed then you're either gonna hate it or be indifferent. I also tried to keep everyone in character, hopefully I succeeded at that. Tell me what you think, new chapter will arrive next week. . . maybe.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Welcome Home

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.**

I sit in my entry plug, tired and slightly irritated. The amber-colored liquid burns the inside of my nose. Its taste stains my tongue, forever leaving its metallic presence in my mouth. My hands become numb from gripping the two control handles too hard. Sweat exits my pores and dissolves into the surrounding LCL. Fatigue is eating away at me, breaking down any resolve I have left in this battle. I mentally prepare myself for the worst as my incoming target approaches. An Angel.

Its spindly arms swing from side to side as it walks in my direction. The creature is completely disproportionate. Its twig-like arms hangs from two massive shoulders. It stands on two legs which look too thin to support this top-heavy creature. A red orb, the core, is situated on its "chest" with a mask (face?) slightly above the orb. The mask is white, has two eye sockets and a bird-like beak. The mask in question, starts emitting a yellow-orange light from its two eye sockets.

That's not good.

Sheer! ! !

A beam of light shoots from the Angel's eyes and is heading straight for me! I will my Eva to quickly avoid the incoming attack. Despite my sluggish movements, I manage to safely avoid the death beam. I run to put some space between the Angel and myself. When I'm at a comfortable distance, I will my Eva to lift its rifle and take aim. Taking few quick breaths of LCL, I pull the trigger in my right control handle. The Eva, in turn, shoots a few rounds at the Angel. A few of the rounds hits the creature, but I missed the only target that actually matters. Shit!

"Michael, you need to focus. The core is where you should be aiming at," Dr. Akagi, who I later learned was called Ritsuko, reminds me over the Eva's internal radio.

"Shut up!" I snap at her. "Don't you think I already know that?!"

I return my attention back to the Angel and see it's now running towards me. I command my Eva to aim at the creature's core, but something's wrong. The Eva's movements are so sluggish it can't aim properly. What rounds manage to hit the Angel misses the core entirely. Why the hell is this robot moving so fucking slow? It's like it has input lag or something!

The Angel's getting too close for comfort. I attempt to escape, but the input lag is so bad the Eva can't even move quickly. The creature tackles my Eva and pins it to the ground. The impact sends me into a daze momentarily. When I can see straight again, there's a giant hand encompassing my Eva's head. The hand starts squeezing the Eva's metallic skull. This causes me to feel pressure building around my head. It's not a pleasant feeling.

Suddenly, the palm of the Angel's hand glows red. The red light quickly increases in intensity and disappears as I feel something crash into my left eye.

"Fuck!" I say out loud. The impact didn't really hurt, it just caught me off guard.

I once again see the light, and once again I feel something crash into my left eye.

"Michael! You need to move!" Ritsuko practically yells over the radio.

"I'm trying!" I really am! I'm moving the control handles erratically and pushing every button on sight! Hell, I'm even kicking some of the controls hoping it'll fix whatever's wrong with this thing! Luckily, Nerv build the entry plugs to last or else I might've accidentally broke something. Seriously, why the hell won't this thing move?!

A crack appears on the display screen.

Oh no.

I see the red light one last time as the screen goes black.

I let out a sigh of relief. Thank god it's all over. A holographic screen appears to my right displaying Ritsuko's face.

"Congratulations Mr. Hart," she says sarcastically, "If this were a real Angel attack, you would be dead."

"Thanks for the confidence booster," I respond with equal sarcasm. "It's not my fault the stupid robot stopped working."

"You panicked which caused your synchronization ratio to drop significantly," she says matter-of-factly. "You can't keep losing control whenever you feel you're being threatened. It's going to get you killed when you face a real Angel."

"Hmph. This just proves I'm not fit to be a pilot. So maybe instead of doing these tests, you should focus on getting me **home**!"

"We're doing the best we can on that front. But we're going to need your continued cooperation if you want us to help. Do you think you can do that?" I stare at the holographic screen, a scowl etched on my face. I eventually relent and nod. "Good. We're done with the battle simulation for today. Go wash up and return to the lab. As usual I'm going to be taking blood, hair and urine samples."

"Yeah whatever." I respond. I hate it when she does that. I press a button which forces the entry plug halfway out of the Eva and exit the vessel. I spend a good few seconds forcing the LCL out of my lungs. Through a series of coughs and forced exhales, I get out as much liquid as possible. The rest will be absorbed into my body. It's a pain in the ass. Dripping with the amber liquid, I casually walk out of the battle simulation room and head for the showers.

Few minutes later, I'm standing in the shower, gladly free of that purple plugsuit. I don't care how many times I wear that thing, I'll never get use to how tight it is. A sigh escapes my lips as I attempt to wash the smell of LCL out of my dreadlocks. But no matter how long I bathe, no matter how much I scrub my body, the metallic smell always remains. The smell may be faint, but I always notice its presence. It's just something I'm going to have to get use to, as much as I hate to admit it. That's not even mentioning the iron taste in my mouth, which ruins the already crappy food I have to eat here. As the warm water rolls over my body, I take a moment to think about the past few weeks.

Three weeks. It's been three fucking weeks! That's how long I've been stranded here! I gave up on the "this is all a dream" theory after realizing this "dream" is lasting too long. The dread of knowing I'm far from home added to my unpleasant experience here. The day after I came here has been nothing but test after horrible test. Some of the tests would be battle simulations, which I always failed at. Other tests where psychological, which forced me to answer some very personal and uncomfortable questions. Probably the worst of my time here was having Dr. Mad Scientist constantly scrap me for samples. I hate her so much. She treats me like a fucking guinea pig every time I meet her. She pretends she cares for my well-being, but really she could care less. I'm just another subject to her and I hate that!

Another problem I've been facing during my time here is school. Yeah, apparently I have to go to school for some unknown reason. I have no doubt Nerv agents are stationed there to make sure I don't escape. But it still doesn't make sense why they would risk me running away by sending me to school! Anyway, the problem I'm having is I can't read kanji without giving myself a headache. That's odd considering I can understand japanese completely fine (still wondering how that works). It makes zero sense how I can speak japanese yet can't read the language it's written in! Though, oddly enough, I can read japanese if it uses the latin alphabet. Soooo. . .that's a plus. I guess?

I turn off the shower head and grab a towel to dry myself off. Looking around I can see this place was meant to be shared with multiple people. Thank goodness I'm the only one here. I walk over to a bench which has my clothes neatly folded on top of it. I take my time putting them on, trying to delay the inevitable. When I'm fully dressed, I mentally prepare myself for Ritsuko's experiments.

I really hate this place.

* * *

It's morning. I'm in the restroom brushing my teeth with the supplies Nerv provided. Afterward, I throw on my school's uniform all the guys have to wear. It's a buttoned up white shirt with black pants (the kind you would see on a suit), held up with a brown belt. Despite having to wear a school uniform, the teachers are surprisingly lenient towards students not adhering to the dress code. As long as they can see you're wearing the uniform, they won't say a thing. With this in mind, I put on my black hoodie and leave it unzipped. I pull my dreadlocks back and wrap a blue hair-band around them, keeping them together. Lastly, I put on my cross necklace and grab my school supplies. I exit my room and prepare for the school day.

I'm inside a black vehicle with one of the Nerv agents driving me to school. The agent drops me off a mile or two away from the school and leaves. So I have to walk the rest of the way towards my destination. I never understood why he does that. What, is he not suppose to be seen by the students? Is it some kind of convoluted security risk if he's seen? Whatever, I'm just lucky I get up early so I'm never late for class. Not that it matters, I'm pretty sure I'm a failing student.

Most of my time at school seems to fly by. I guess that happens when you pretty much zone out most of the lessons. It's not like the classes were boring per se, it's just there wasn't a point in doing any of the work. Since I can't read or write in the language, I'll end up failing regardless if I pay attention or not. The teachers must think I'm such a slacker, though not being able to read makes for the perfect excuse. My classmates are such a pain. They annoy me throughout the day. You'd think after three weeks of attending the school they'd get use to seeing a foreigner. Apparently not, because they continue doing the same shit they do everyday. They ask about my country, what kind of food I ate there, and other stupid questions. Hell, some of them asked if they could touch my hair which was extremely awkward. I know some might find enjoyment in being the center of attention. But being in the spotlight just annoys me. I prefer being alone.

Right now, the class is watching to the history teacher drone on about the Second Impact. I usually enjoy history, but the teacher makes the subject sound soooo boring. The guy's so caught up in his speech he doesn't notice half the class isn't paying attention. Everyone's either asleep or are speaking to their friends. I on the other hand pretend I'm listening, mainly because I feel sorry for the old man.

Bleep!

Hmm? What was that?

I look at the school's red laptop sitting on my desk. On the screen I can see a new message has arrived in my inbox. All the students' laptops are connected to each other, it helps when doing group projects. So there's no doubt in my mind that one of my classmates sent the message. Welp, might as well see what he or she wants. I click on the message which opens a new page.

 **. . .**

Kanji. . .What else did I expect?

Okay focus. The message is pretty short, so I should be able to decipher it. I strain my eyes to get a better look at the screen. I can tell it's a question, but the other words are giving me a headache. "Something, something, Eva pilot," that's all I can make out. Below the sentence is two clickable words. I can easily tell those words translate to "yes" and "no". Putting two and two together, I can tell the messenger is asking if I'm an Eva pilot. I click the "no" option which automatically sends the message. My attention goes back to the boring lesson.

I don't need to be in the spotlight.

Few minutes later, the class ends and lunch begins. I reluctantly pull a paper bag out my backpack and look inside. A ham sandwich and bottled water. . .fuck. You'd think Nerv would mix things up a bit instead of giving me the SAME FUCKING THING EVERYDAY! ! ! I sigh and stuff the bland sandwich in my mouth. After washing down the taste with warm water, I throw the empty bag in the trash and walk out the classroom. I head to the roof to rest until class begins again. People rarely go up there, so it's the perfect place for me.

When I finally reach the roof, I take a moment to breath in the fresh air. It never ceases to amaze me how pure the air is here, despite being so close to the city. Maybe the air seems fresh in comparison to the liquid I take into my lungs when piloting. The smell of air beats the smell of LCL any day. When I'm done appreciating the smell I scan the area. It's quiet and I'm the only one up here. Bits of broken concrete are littered around the place, though not by a significant amount. A chain linked fence surrounds the roof, silencing the threat of falling. The fence gives me the courage to get close to the edge of the roof. Now I can get a better look at the city.

It's actually quite nice to look at. The white buildings reflect the sun's yellow rays in such a way, it looks like I'm seeing a painting. There's little, if any, smog covering the the city. Again, I'm surprised by the lack of pollution.

Tokyo-3 is a pretty nice place. Just wish I wasn't stuck here.

Kreeen!

Someone's at the door. Odd, no one usually comes up here. Hope whoever it is doesn't bother me.

I turn away from the city and see two kids standing next to the roof's entrance. One of them has brunette hair, thick lense glasses and is wearing the typical school boy's uniform. He has a look of. . .excitement? Why is he so happy?

The other kid is slightly taller. He has black hair and is wearing a coat of the same color. This kid doesn't look amused in the slightest. A scowl carves itself onto his face as he stares at me.

The two look familiar, but I can't remember why that is.

The brunette kid is practicly shaking with excitement as he whispers something to the taller kid. The taller one just rolls his eyes as the brunette brings his attention to me.

"Hey!" greets the brunette.

"Uh, hey?" I reply, a bit confused. "Do I know you?"

"Nope!" the kid states proudly. "I'm Kensuke and this is my friend Toji. I gotta say, it's an honor to meet you!"

Honor?

"I admit I had my doubts. But after thinking about the timing of your arrival, there's no doubt about it! We have an actual Ev-"

"Cut the crap Kensuke," the taller kid, Toji, snaps at his friend. "We didn't come here to be buddies with this guy."

Toji points a finger towards me. "You're an Eva pilot! Aren't ya?!"

I don't like his tone.

"Toji calm down," Kensuke says a bit too casually, "Don't you think you're overreacting just a little bit."

Toji ignores Kensuke and quickly walks towards me. "Answer the question!"

". . .No," I reply calmly, "I'm not an Eva pilot."

"Quit lying!" yells Toji. "A few weeks ago an Eva wrecked the city! Days later you show up out of nowhere!"

"Ever heard of a coincidence?"

"Don't screw with me! You ain't foolin' anyone!" The guy grabs me by my shirt's collar, "It doesn't take a genius to put two an' two together."

Who the hell does he think he his? I grab his wrist and twist it which causes him to let go. Using my other arm, I push Toji away from me. Now I have room to move.

I take a moment to think about what to do next. He doesn't buy I'm not a pilot, so there's no point in keeping it a secret. "Fine I'm an Eva pilot. Why the hell does it matter?"

Toji glares at me, malice carved on his face. "Why does it matter? You're robot wrecked the city! You put a lot of people in the hospital, including my sister! ! !"

Wait, his sister's in the hospital? Shit, no wonder he isn't thinking straight. "Look, I'm sorry about your sister. But it wasn't my fault. I wasn't pi-" I duck under Toji's right hook and push him away from me.

"Stand still!" he says as throws another punch.

I dodge his incoming attack and attempt to reason with him. "Idiot! I didn't put your sister in the hospital!" I dodge another punch. "I've never piloted an Eva outside of simulations! So I couldn't have destroyed the city!"

"Bullshit!"

He throws a few more punches my way and I dodge every single one. Multiple ways to diffuse the situation pop into my head, but I'm too focused on not getting hit to use those ideas. Eventually Toji leads me to the fence's corner, trapping me. Shit! He pushes me against the corner and knees me in the gut. As I'm struggling to breath, a punch catches my left cheek. The impact knocks me on my hands and knees. I desperately cling to the ground in order to keep myself from collapsing completely. I can feel Toji's eyes burrowing into the back of my skull. He's studying me, seeing if I'll retaliate. Seemingly satisfied with my defeat, he walks off.

My body is shaking as I tense up. My heart beats faster as my breath becomes fire. I slowly get on my feet and glare at my attacker.

"You're such a fucking idiot!"

Toji stops walking then turns to me. "What you say?"

My brain is running a million miles an hour. Thoughts are passing by so fast they become a blur. The shaking increases as I continue my glare. Tunnel vision takes hold, increasing my focus. I want to hurt him! I want to make him regret he ever messed with me! It takes everything I have to restrain myself.

"It's not my fault your fucking sister's in the hospital!"

A scowl returns to his face. "It's your robot, so it's your fault she's hurt!"

What's it gonna take to get through that thick skull? "If your sister's dumb enough to get in the middle of a battle then she deserved what she got! ! !"

Everything goes dead silent. Even the wind stops blowing, as if to proclaim something was wrong. It takes me a few seconds to realize what I just said. When it finally hits me, my heart nearly stops. Why did I say that?!

"W-wait. I didn't mean to-" a fist to the face interrupts me.

A stream of blood exists my noise. I cup my right hand over the wound to stop the bleeding. Toji tackles me to the ground and wildly throws punches towards my head. I throw my arms up to defend myself.

Stop it.

A punch bruises my right forearm.

Stop it!

Another connects to my gut.

Stop it! ! !

A punch manages to break my guard. Bruising my face.

STOP IT! ! ! ! !

Toji prepares to throw another punch but stops when I strike his throat. This stuns him long enough for me to notice a piece of concrete next to me. I grab the object and swing it full force against his head. The impact knocks him back and sends him into a daze. Bits of blood is sprinkle across his newly acquired wound, he doesn't seem to notice.

While he's on the ground, I kick him as hard as I can in the ribs.

"AHHHH! ! !" he screams in pain. I ignore it. I keep kicking until my leg gets tired. But I'm not done with him yet. Not by a long shot!

I use both hands to grab Toji's neck. When he attempts to loosen my grip, I punch him a few times to cease his struggling. I tighten my grip and he starts making weird noises.

"Fuck you! Fuck you! FUCK YOU! ! !" I scream at him.

I'm tired of this fucking school! I'm tired of Nerv, the Eva and the stupid tests! I'm tired people judging me! I'm tired of people pretending to care about my well-being! ! ! I'm tired of this **whole** fucking world and I'm tired of being a scapegoat for people like him! ! ! I don't have to deal with your shit Toji! I don't have deal with anyone's shit! ! ! If you want to fuck with me, then you can go ahead and die! ! ! !

Toji's eyes roll back into his skull as his face loses color. Drool bubbles up and spills out of his mouth. Disgusting.

My face hurts.

"Stop it! Get off him!" says an irritating voice. Ignore him.

Someone tries to pull me off of my victim. It's annoying. I momentarily release one of my hands from Toji's throat and swing it at the person trying to intervene. The impact of my attack sends the person flat on his back.

"LEAVE ME ALONE! ! !" I yell at the person.

The person struggles to get up and looks at me. Fear is painted all over Kensuke's face. It's an expression I've seen a few times in my life. It snaps the logical part of my brain back to reality. I look back to Toji and see he's barely conscious. Immediately I release my grip and stand up, hardly believing what I'm seeing.

What the hell was I thinking? If Kensuke hadn't stopped me, I could've. . . Damn it!

"I-I. . ." I try to apologize. But what would be the point? "I'm sorry" isn't going to magically fix what I almost did. So what is there left to do? . . . I need to go!

I run back into the school and through the hallways. I'm hearing people telling me to stop, but I ignore them. I need to get out of this place! I need to be alone! I run out the school's front doors and away from the school itself. Now I'm in the city, and I'm still running. I only stop when my legs get tired. Not caring about the potential dangers of the city, I decide to rest near a dark alley. When I'm fully settled there, tears stream down my face.

Smiling. I was smiling the whole time I was choking him. I was fucking enjoying it!

I scream into my hands as more tears are produced. What the hell is wrong with me?

* * *

It was dark out when Nerv agents finally found me. To be honest, I think they already knew my location. They probably left me alone as long as they did so I could cool off. Anyway, they brought me back to Nerv HQ. Surprisingly, they let me walk around the place when I asked to. They probably agreed to do so because I can be seen by the cameras. Currently, I'm in a cafeteria which is closed. Not that it matters, I'm not there for the food. I'm sitting at one of the tables closest the windows and am staring outside.

It amazes me how little there is to see in the Geofront, despite it being the size of a city. There's only trees and lakes outside, no animals. The lack of sunlight makes it difficult to see some parts of the area. But it's like I said, there's barely anything out there.

I don't know how long I've been sitting here. It could be thirty minutes to an hour. Does it really matter if I know what time it is? If I'm "needed" somewhere, Nerv agents will come get me. A thought of the incident at school momentarily pops into my head. I quickly shove that thought to the back of my skull. Fuck this place.

"There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you."

I draw my attention away from the window to see a woman with long purple hair. She sports a red coat with a type of black sheath dress underneath. She has her arms crossed and has a friendly look on her face. Misato. I think that's her name.

"Mind if I keep you company?" she asks.

Without saying a word, I draw my attention back to the outside. She must've took my silence as permission to stay. She walks to my side and stands about three or four seats away from me. She looks out the same window I'm staring out of, perhaps trying to see what I'm looking for. We both remain silent.

We stay like that for a good minute. She's constantly sneaking glances at me, like she wants to say something but is hesitating to do so. She lets out a sigh and eventually speaks.

"Rough time at school?"

"You could say that." Now leave. I want to be left alone.

"Want to talk about it?"

". . ."

Misato scratches the back of her head. "Listen I-"

"What is there to talk about?" I ask. "I got in a fight with someone and choked him out. End of story."

She studies my face, searching for something. What's she looking for? Remorse? Anger? I make sure to show no emotion. Perhaps she'll stop talking to me.

"Yeah, I heard about the fight," she says in a soft voice. "I just want to know what was going through your head. Why-"

"I don't want to talk about it," I tell her as my face turns away from her gaze. "I want to be left alone."

"Okay. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," pity evident in her voice. Don't look down on me! "I just want you to know I'm here if you need to talk."

I reach up to grab the cross hanging around my neck. My grip tightens around the object as I let out a chuckle. "Really? That's rich!"

Confusion displays itself on her face.

"I have a question for you," I tell her. "Why are you even speaking to me?"

"What do you mean?"

I meet my gaze with her's. "You think I didn't notice? During my time here, you've been actively avoiding me. Coming up with any excuse not be around me, like I had some kind of disease. Like you were afraid of me or something. So why are you speaking to me now?"

". . ."

"I'll tell you why. It's because you thought my 'incident' at school would affect my ability to pilot. You wanted to make sure your little 'tool' was still useful."

Misato looked a bit hurt at what I said. "That's not it at all! It's just. . ."

She lingers at the last few words then shakes her head.

"Doesn't matter," she tells me. "Will you be okay?"

I get out of my seat and start walking. "I'll be fine, so leave me alone. I don't need yours or anyone's pity." I continue walking and head out of the cafeteria.

* * *

It's 12:30 pm and I'm back at the roof of the school. I stare at the sky, allowing my mind to lose itself among the clouds. Today was quiet and uneventful. I think the students are scared of me. Anytime I walk past a classmate they would go stiff. They probably know about the fight I had with Toji. How I almost killed him. Well, it doesn't matter. It just means the class will leave me alone, which is what I want. I don't need friends. I don't need anyone.

Kreeen!

Again? Who's up here this time?

"Pilot Hart. An Angel has been spotted."

That voice. I turn towards person talking and see Rei standing near an open door.

"Why are you telling me?" I ask, not liking where this is going.

"All Eva pilots must return to Nerv in the event of an Angel attack," she explains.

I want to argue that I don't want to go anywhere, but stop myself. Nerv has got to be the safest place to be during a crisis, so I might as well go there. I gesture for Rei to lead the way as I get on my feet. She nods and quickly runs back into the school. I soon follow.

Rei and I are in a large room. We're standing on a metal floor with a pool of LCL at the front of the room. The place is filled with numerous machines. Engineers can be seen maintaining the aforementioned machines. A large window is located at the front of the room, a few stories off the ground. But the thing would draw most people's attention is the Eva in the middle of the room. It's body is submerged to the shoulders in LCL. Metal structures are attached to its shoulders, keep it locked in place. The purple giant is looking forward, eyes glowing white. If I didn't know any better, I'd think it's staring at me.

I look up and can make out Misato is standing behind the large window. I take a deep breath and prepare to raise my voice so she can hear me. "Why did you call me here?"

"You know why you're here," Misato tells me over a speaker.

"I'm not fighting that thing!"

"You have too. You're the only one who can."

I shut my eyes and feel my whole body tense up. I can't do this. I failed to kill a simulated Angel, so what chance do I have against a real one? It's suicide for me to fight that thing.

"I don't have to do shit!"

"What?"

I open my eyes and glare at her. "You heard me! If I fight that thing I'm going to die!" I point a finger at Rei. "If you want someone to kill that Angel, get Rei to do it!"

"She can't," Misato explains, "Rei is still injured. She'll die if she tries to pilot Unit-01."

"I don't care!"

"You don't mean that."

"WILL YOU SHUT UP! ! !" Everything becomes silent. I take this moment to calm down a bit. "The only reason I agreed to be your pilot was because your commander made it clear I had no choice! But that's a load of crap! ! ! I always had a choice!" I harden my look and clench my fists.

"I chose to endure the stupid tests and simulations! I chose to put up with Ritsuko treating me like a damn lab rat! ! ! I chose to endure all that shit because I was promised Nerv would find a way for me to get home!" I lift my hand and present three fingers. "I've put of with your crap for three weeks! And for three weeks no progress has been made on getting me home! Now you expect me to fight something that could kill me?! All for what?! For people I barely know?! For the 'good of all mankind'?!" My body starts shaking as my breathing increases.

"No! Fuck that, and fuck all of you! ! ! I don't owe you or this world a goddamn thing! ! !"

The room remains silent. Even at this distance, I can tell Misato wants to say something, but no words come out.

I'm done talking about this. I turn towards the exit and walk out of the room.

A few minutes pass as I walk down the white hallway. I'm honestly surprised one's stopping me. You would think they would put up more resistance against a pilot refusing to fight. Gendo's probably gonna follow through on his threat. What am I going to do when that happens? I shake my head to get those unpleasant thoughts out. There's no use in worrying about it now. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

"Wait!" calls a voice.

I turn around to see Misato running towards me. She stops a few feet away from me and takes a moment to catch her breath.

"Leave me alone," I demand.

"Listen. I know it must be hard to have this responsibility thrown on you. But you're the only one who can do this."

"Not the only one," I respond.

"I already told you, Rei can't pilot right now!" She takes a deep breath then looks me dead in the eye. "If she dies and you refuse to pilot, there will be nothing to protect Tokyo-3 from the Angels."

"Why the hell should I care?" I snap at her. And really, why should I? This place isn't my responsibility. I'm not some hero who swoops in and saves the day. I'm just some kid pulled into a shit situation. If I fight, I die. So might as well get someone else to do the job.

Misato sighs and shakes her head. "Michael, I know you're scared-"

"No shit!"

"But like it or not, you are humanity's last hope. If Nerv falls, everyone **including** you will die."

I go silent. This is a no win situation. If I fight, I will die. If I don't fight, then I still die! Dammit! Why the hell did this have to happen to me?

Misato's expression changes into a look of sympathy. "Look, if you don't want to get into the Eva then I won't force you." Breaks eye contact and looks away. Is she shaking? "I'm. . .never doing that again."

Her body becomes less tense as she looks at me once again. "I know you'll do the right thing."

Really? She's just going to let me decide the fate of the world? I look at the floor to hide my face. I don't understand. "What makes you so sure? You don't even know me."

A smile appears on her face. "Just call it women's intuition."

That's it? She thinks I'm going to do "the right thing" based on blind faith. How can she have so much faith in a person she barely knows? How can she have hope that a kid, who constantly failed every battle sim, can save the world? It doesn't make sense!

I instinctively grab the cross hanging around my neck and let out a nervous chuckle. She must really be desperate if she thinks I can win. This is borderline insane.

"Fine. I'll do it. I'll fight the Angel."

Her smile widens.

* * *

I'm inside the entry plug which is already inserted into the Eva. I move my arms a bit, attempting to make myself comfortable in the plugsuit. LCL pours into the the entry plug, which is the worst part of being in an Eva. The liquid completely submerges me as I go into a meditative state, breathing it in. Despite being able to breathe in the LCL because it's oxygenated, it doesn't work immediately. When the liquid enters your lungs, you spend a few moments drowning until the oxygen reaches your brain. The first time that happened I nearly had a panic attack. So I learned to get myself into a trance while waiting for the oxygen to reach my brain.

When my breathing becomes stable, I prepare myself for the next step in activating the Eva. The liquid rapidly changes color in such a way, it gives me the illusion of falling. Eventually the LCL becomes completely transparent to a point it looks like it isn't there. The only evidence of its presence is the occasional air bubbles. The entry plug's display screen activates, allowing me to see through the Eva's eyes.

The last step is connecting my mind with the Eva. I close my eyes and try to imagine the Eva and I are the same being. It's a strange feeling. I can feel the structures outside keeping the robot in place, keeping me in place. Any subtle movement the Eva makes reflect my own movements. It's like I'm in control of two bodies at the same time, and it's a completely natural feeling. I can even feel the Eva's breathing. . .does this thing breathe? What makes me uncomfortable is the feeling of not being alone. It's like there's another presence inside this robot and it's trying to burrow itself into my brain.

"How are you feeling Michael?"

"Fine," I tell Misato. "Let's just get this over with."

Everything starts shaking as I'm being lifted up to the launch pad. I hear metal locking my Eva in place, keeping it secure.

"Prepare for launch!"

Here we go!

An explosion can be heard as I'm rocketed to the surface. The sudden speed makes it feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest. The constant shaking isn't helping either. I thought the LCL was suppose to dampen any g-forces the Eva would experience. It's not doing a good job because I'm getting a headache.

The ride eventually comes to a stop and I'm faced with two large metal doors. The doors slide open and the locks securing the Eva comes undone, freeing my movements. Immediately, I command my Eva to grab the umbilical cable near the launch platform and insert it into itself. Not needing to worry about power, I scan the city. Some of the buildings already retracted themselves into the ground, clearing up the battlefield. From my height, everything looks so small. Despite the impending doom I'll be facing, I'm smiling. I'm inside a GIANT FUCKING ROBOT! This is like every kid's wet dream! This thing can crush cars and destroy buildings! And this behemoth is under **my** control! I know I've piloted this thing multiple times in simulations. But to actually move it around in a real place, well. . .it's just completely different feeling!

My moment of euphoria quickly changes to fear as I see a giant arthropod-like creature at a distance. It has a large head with two false eyes on top. Two arms near the head has whips of light extending from them. On its torso is eight insect-like legs situated slightly below its core. It's crimson red color sticks out among the white city buildings. It hasn't noticed me yet.

A building next to me opens itself to reveal an array guns, each a different model. I grab the one that looks like an assault rifle (I think it's called the Pallet Rifle) and take aim at the Angel.

"Alright Michael. Do it just like you practiced," Misato tells me over the Eva's radio.

"Right," I respond. Just aim at the core.

I need to get closer to the thing. I can't afford to miss. Using the buildings as cover, I sneak towards the Angel. Each step is slow and deliberated. You'd think the Eva would make a lot of noise due to how big it is. But it makes little to no noise when being stealthy. I want to get in the Angel's blind spot, but I can't see its eyes. Unless. . . those false eyes on top of its head actually work. I don't see how, they look like they were painted on.

"Fuck it." This is as close as I'm going to get to the thing. I raise my rifle and take aim at the Angel's core. My chest is a beating drum and my body's all rigid. " _Just breathe_ ", I tell myself. I inhale deeply and let out a shaky exhale.

Fire.

The rifle comes to life as it breathes rounds of lead in the direction of the Angel. The bullets just bounce off an invisible force field. An A.T. Field. Seeing as I'm going nowhere with the rifle, I shoot at the ground kicking up black dust. With its vision impaired, I run and hide behind another building, far from the Angel.

I need to deal with that A.T. Field. But I can only do that if I match the frequency at which my bullets leaves the rifle to the frequency of the A.T. Field. Or I can use brute force, but that means close quarters combat. I'm not getting any closer to that thing. I'll just wait until it reveals itself and try my luck at shooting it again.

Thwhip!

What?!

The building I was hiding behind falls to pieces, revealing the Angel.

"Shit!" I will my Eva to jump to its feet and run. Buildings around me fall to pieces as I dodge each one of the Angel's light whips. If one of those things hit me I'm done for. I turn around momentarily and shoot at the creature while running. The bullets just bounce off it's A.T. Field as it continues its assault. Dammit!

"Michael! Use your Progressive Knife to neutralize its A.T. Field!" Misato orders.

"Are you kidding me?" I tell her. "I'm not getting close to that thing!"

"You don't have a choice! That Angel's going to catch up to you sooner or later! So you might as well deal with it now!"

She's right. I can't move as fast as that Angel so I can't escape it. My rifle can't get through its A.T. Field so I might as well use the knife.

While running, I extract my Progressive Knife from the Eva's left shoulder pylon. I turn to face the incoming Angel. Here goes nothing.

Thwhip! Thwhip! Thwhip!

I dodge the incoming attacks using the surrounding buildings as cover. In my Eva's left hand is the Pallet rifle. I clumsily aim the rifle at where the Angel is standing and fire. Dust is kicked up, obscuring its vision. Two light whips exit the improvised smoke screen and attempt to attack me. But I'm no longer there. Behind the creature, I use my vibrating knife to pierce its invisible shield. The Angel took notice of my attack and wildly swings its whips around. One of the whips cuts my Eva's left arm, causing me to drop the rifle.

"Fuck!" That actually hurts! The pain is another reminder that I'm not in a simulation. This thing can kill me!

I panic. I turn my back against the enemy and start running. Something snags on the back of my Eva causing me to stop. I turn to see my umbilical cable stretched to its maximum length. I momentarily think about severing the cable but thought better of it. I'll only have one minute of power to get out of here (five minutes if I'm lucky).

The Angel's whips shoot in my direction and I duck to avoid them. I will my Eva to grab a handful of rubble and throw it at the Angel. This stuns the Angel for a moment.

Screw it! The cable's only gonna slow me down.

I disconnect the cable from my Eva and start running. Five minutes. It must be my lucky day, relatively speaking.

"Michael! What are you doing?" Misato yells over the radio.

"I needed increased mobility," I explain. "My Eva's slow enough as it is!"

I order my Eva to jump on top of one of the buildings. When the Angel attacks with one of it's whips I just jump onto another building. We do this "dance" for about a minute. Meanwhile I'm thinking of a way to get out of this mess. As fun as it is to jump around, I need to find another umbilical cable. . .or just run back to Nerv. Whatever option will keep me alive.

I bring my attention back to the Angel only to see a building flying towards me.

"Holy Hell!" I yell as I jump to another building. It's changed its tactics. Now it's throwing fucking buildings at me! I continue dodging debris while looking for an escape route. As I'm dodging it feels like I'm forgetting something. I don't know what it is, but must be important if it's bugging me in the middle of a fucking battle!

I dodge another piece of a building and see it crash into a mountain covered in trees. Memories of the movies starts flooding my brain. Somebody's up there. I quickly enhance my Eva's vision and see two of my classmates cowering in fear as a building nearly hits them.

"Misato! You're seeing what I'm seeing?"

"Yeah, I see them. Do you think you can get to them?"

I look at the Angel and dodge another attack. Inside the entry plug, the back of my right hand shows I have three minutes of power left. It's not a lot of time.

"I. . .I'll try," I tell her.

"Good luck."

I run as fast as I can to the mountain while at the same time dodging every attack the Angel had to offer. Tired of having to move around the buildings, I just charge straight through them. It didn't hurt as much as I thought it would, though I can hear a sigh of disappointment over the radio. When I reach the mountain and locate the students, the Angel's already on my tail. I turn around, prepared to protect the civilians.

What the hell am I doing? I should be running, not doing this!

Thwhip! Thwhip!

As the two whips are about to hit me, I will my Eva to lift its arms and grab them.

"AHHHHHH! ! ! ! ! !" Shit! It's like I dipped my hands in boiling oil! I tighten my grip on the control handles and stare down the attacker. I feel my entry plug exit the Eva and open up.

"Get in!" Misato yells over the radio. In the corner of my eye I see the two students nod their heads and climb into the Eva.

I recognize them now. It's Toji and Kensuke. Great. Not only do I have to fight a giant fucking monster. But now I have to deal with the awkwardness of saving a person I almost choked to death.

"Ugh! What is this stuff?" I hear a voice, Toji, say in disgust.

"I heard of this stuff! It's called LCL!" responds Kensuke.

"Get. . .in. . .already!" I say in between pained breaths. "You'll feel like you're drowning! But. . .that'll pass!"

Toji and Kensuke pause for a moment before they completely submerge themselves in the liquid. They struggle to breathe for a few moments until the oxygen finally reaches their brains.

"Civilians secure," I report to Misato.

"Good. Deal with the Angel and retreat."

"Don't need to tell me twice!" I command my Eva to pull the Angel closer and deliver a powerful kick. The monster is sent flying and I run to the nearest launch pad. One minute left.

The Angel is catching up to me. Thirty seconds left!

I jump into the container where the launch pad is located. I didn't bother waiting for the thing to lock me in place.

"Misato! ! !"

"Got it!" The container closes as the Eva digs it's fingers into the launch pad's platform. At lightning speed, the launch pad sends my passengers and I beneath Tokyo-3. My hands sting grabbing the platform due the Angel's attack, but it beats getting killed.

Because I'm not locked in place, it takes longer than usual to get me back to Nerv HQ. I shut down my Eva and have it lock its grip so it's still on the platform. During this time, it's deadly quiet inside the entry plug. In the corner of my eye, I can see Kensuke wants to ask a ton of questions. But he stops himself. Toji on the other hand isn't looking in my direction. He seems suspicious and confused.

I let out a long sigh. This is exactly what I didn't want to happen. I can deal with silence. But this silence is too uncomfortable. Not to mention my stinging hands are adding to me being uncomfortable. Also. . .I feel a bit guilty over what happened. I insulted his sister who's in the hospital and tried to kill him. Sure, he attacked me, but he wasn't thinking straight. Sorta like how I wasn't thinking straight.

"I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Toji and Kensuke say simultaneously.

"What I mean is. . .I'm sorry about yesterday." Man, I'm terrible at this. "I shouldn't have said that shit about your sister. I also took things too far during our fight."

"It's just-" I pause to gather my thoughts. "When I get angry I. . .I stop thinking. I say and do things I'll later regret. It's gotten me in a lot of trouble in the past, but that's no excuse. I understand what it's like to want to protect a relative. Hell, if something happened to my brother and I knew someone was responsible, I'd probably do the same thing you did. So, I kinda get where you're coming from."

Toji remains silent.

"Also," I direct my attention to Kensuke, "I'm sorry for hitting you yesterday. Trying to help your friend was. . .a really admirable thing to do." I turn my back towards both of them. "I don't expect you both to forgive me. I just wanted to get this off my chest. That's all."

As soon as I'm finished talking to them, my Eva stops moving. We're back at Nerv.

I press a button which forces the entry plug halfway out of the Eva and open the exit. I peek my head out to see a bunch of people in lab coats and a few in black suits. Standing in front of the crowd is Misato. While the people in the lab coats help Toji and Kensuke out of the Eva, Misato looks absolutely livid.

"You two are in **big** trouble!" she scolds my classmates. Toji and Kensuke look at the floor and mutter an apology. "I'll deal with you two later." She turns in my direction. "Anyway, you're gonna be taking a short break. At least until the Eva's internal battery is fully charged, which gives you about thirty minutes. Hopefully that'll give us enough time to-"

"I'm not going back out there!" I tell Misato. "I barely made a scratch on that thing! There's no way I can beat it!"

"It's not over yet," Misato tells me. "You can still defeat the Angel. You just need to stop being afraid of it."

"If I go back out there it'll kill me! ! !"

"No it won't! ! !" she yells back. She takes a deep breath and continues speaking, "You already proved you can neutralize its A.T. Field. The only thing stopping you from winning is your fear. I know you can defeat the Angel. But **you** must also believe you can! Can you do that?"

I go silent. She really thinks I can kill that thing? It makes no sense! But I don't have a choice. I either sit here and die or go out there and die. I breathe in heavily and let out a shaky exhale.

"Shit. Don't talk down to me," I tell her. "I'm not some little kid. *Sigh* Fine I'll go back up there, but under one condition. You let Toji and Kensuke watch the battle."

Misato eyes get ten times bigger and Kensuke's practically bouncing off the walls. "Why would you want that?" she asks.

"They'll only try this stunt again if they don't see this fight. So might as well get it out of their system, right?"

"I. . .I guess that makes sense," she says, a bit skeptical. "Alright, it's a deal. Be prepared to pilot in thirty minutes. Got that?"

"Ma'am yes ma'am," I say as do a mock salute.

Misato brings her hand to her face as she chuckles.

Thirty minutes has passed.

I'm back on the surface ready to face the Angel. Once again I'm wielding an assault rifle. This time I intend on using it to blind my opponent instead of using it to attack.

I will my Eva to fire a few rounds at the Angel which gets its attention. It starts flying at me extremely fast.

Don't be afraid. Focus.

When it gets close enough it uses its whips. I dodge a few of its attacks and fire at the ground, kicking up black dust. The Angel kept attacking even though it didn't know where I am. I move directly under it and use my Progressive Knife to pierce its A.T. Field. But, during all the mayhem, I missed its core. The Angel violently thrashes its body which knock the knife out of my Eva's hand.

Oh no!

It wraps its whip around my left arm and lifts me off the ground. It swings me around for a bit before slamming me into the street. I have no time to register the pain before is does the same thing again and again. The Angel then throws me through several buildings, severing my umbilical cable. This time I only have one minute of power.

"Michael! Watch out!"

At the sound of Misato's voice, I move my Eva's head to spot the Angel's location. All I see is a whip coming straight for me. I try to move but the Eva won't budge!

"What's wrong?" she asks, panic evident in her voice.

"The Eva isn't responding! ! !"

"The pilot's synch ratio is dropping," I hear a woman say over the radio.

"No," Misato says in defeat. "Force eject the pilot's entry plug! ! !"

Before that can happen, the Angel's whip impales my Eva's skull. Right through the left eye.

"GAAAAAHHHHHHH! ! ! ! ! !" OH GOD! ! ! IT HURTS SO MUCH! ! ! ! "GET ME OUT OF THIS THING! ! ! ! !"

"We're trying Michael! ! !" Misato tries to reassure me.

Dammit! Dammit! DAMMIT! ! ! ! The pain is too much! I just want it to end! ! ! ! Get off me! Stop it! LEAVE ME ALONE! ! ! ! !

I grab both of the light whips and tear them off the Angel's body. A scream escapes me as I tackle the Angel to the ground. The impact destroys a few buildings. I rip off one of its insect legs and stab its core with it. The core shows no sign of cracking, but I continue my onslaught regardless. The Angel flails its body around, trying to get me to stop.

"RAHHHHHH! ! ! !" I scream at my prey. "JUST DIE YOU PIECE OF SHIT! ! ! !"

I keep stabbing the core over and over again. It cracks. I let out one final scream as I drive the leg into the core. It shatters and the Angel stops moving. At that exact moment, my Eva runs out of power.

Silence. That's all there is. No sounds of a flailing enemy. No sounds of an Eva running nor the hum of electrical equipment. There's only absolute silence. I tear dissolve in the LCL as I apply pressure to my left eye. A poor attempt to nurse the pain. I keep staring at the blank screen, the spot where the Angel would be. Tears continue to pour from my eyes as I scowl at the screen.

"I hate you."

* * *

Two days has past and very little has happened. Toji and Kensuke approached me after school and said that they forgive me. Toji apologized, even though I told him that the fault was mine. Kensuke pointed out that we were both being dicks and you should let "bygones be bygones". This earned a chuckle out of both Toji and I. Heh, just thinking about it brings a smile to my face. It's nice to know I can leave that part of my life behind.

Ritsuko gave me time to rest, which meant no battle sims and testing. That certainly put a skip in my step. It would've been better if my left eye would stop throbbing. She says the sensation will go away in a few days. Until then, I'll just have to deal with the pain.

Knock! Knock!

Huh? I wonder who it is?

I get out of my bed and open the door slightly to see who's outside. It's Misato.

"Mind if I come in?" she asks.

I gesture for her to enter. As she walks in I take a seat on my bed. "What do you want?"

She looks around my room for a bit and doesn't seem pleased with what she sees. "You don't have a lot of stuff, do you?"

"Just the clothes on my back and the things Nerv provides me."

"Hmm," she crosses her arms. "Do you like the food here?"

I give the "are you shitting me" look. "The food tastes like crap."

She chuckles and scratches the back of her head. "Yeah. All the money in the world and Nerv can't hire decent chiefs."

I smirk a bit. "So you just came here to ask about the food?"

She shakes her head. "No, not at all." She once again scans the room. "It gets lonely here, does it."

"I'm use to it."

"What if I told you I can take you out of this place? I mean, you don't seem to like it here."

Hmm? "What are you offering?"

"You could live with me for a while," she says. "At least until you get back home. How does that sound?"

"Really?" I ask. She nods her head. "Are you sure about this? I don't want to get in the way or anything."

"It's no trouble," she assures me. "So what is your answer?"

"Hmm. I don't know. I mean, Nerv is such a 'nice' place. With its shitty food and the people with sticks up their asses," I say sarcastically. "Oh! Let's not forget the oh so wonderful tests."

"Okay I get it," she laughs a bit. "I'll take that as a yes. We can leave as soon as you're ready."

My eyes widen. "Huh? Don't you have to fill out some kind of paperwork?"

"Eh, I'll get Ritsuko to deal with that."

This gets me to laugh wholeheartedly. The fact that Ritsuko will get stuck with doing paper work brings me absolute joy.

After packing what little I had, Misato leads me to her car and we drive to her apartment. The drive is mostly uneventful. It's the middle of the night and there's barely any cars on the road. Whether that's due to less people being in the city or simply because it's late out is anyone's guess.

"You were right Michael, about me avoiding you." Misato says out of the blue while driving. I give her a questioning look. "You're probably wondering why I did that. Well *sigh* the truth is. . .I was afraid. I was afraid of seeing Shinji as nothing but a tool. I was afraid that the child who came to Tokyo-3, searching for answers, would be forgotten without a second thought. When you showed up and was selected to pilot Unit-01. I thought my fears were validated. You were Shinji's replacement, and Shinji was the broken tool. I thought your presence, somehow desecrated his memory. That by speaking to you, I was spitting on his grave. I thought-". A tear rolls down her cheek, she quickly wipes it away.

"Heh, I guess that was stupid of me. I made it seem like Shinji's death was your fault. When in reality. . .it was my fault. I forced him into the Eva so his death is on my hands. *Sigh* Shinji must hate me."

The car becomes silent for a few seconds. I have to say something. She seems like a good person, so I can't leave her feeling like shit. "I. . .I'm sorry for giving you such a hard time."

Misato glances at me and smiles. "It's understandable. You were scared."

"That's no excuse!" I snap at her. "I acted like such a coward! I took out my frustration on anyone who was around me. And that's not okay!"

A determined look finds its way onto my face. "From now on, I promise to better control myself." Misato's expression brightens up a bit. "Also, I don't think Shinji hates you. I'm pretty sure, deep down, he saw you as a good person."

A small chuckle escapes her lips. "You really think so?"

"I know so. I mean, look at what you're doing! You're offering someone you barely know a place to stay! If he were alive, he'd be proud of you. So. . .don't be so hard on yourself."

A smirk appears on her face as she shakes her head. She looks back to the road and says "We're here." I look out the window and see an apartment complex. It looks like most of the apartment is empty, though I could be wrong. Misato parks the car in front of the building.

We make our short journey up a few flights of stairs and stop in front of Misato's apartment door. She digs into her pocket and pulls out a bunch keys attached to a keychain.

"Welp, home sweet home!"she says as she unlocks and opens the door.

I go into the apartment after her. Yeah, home sweet home.

 **. . .**

This place is filthy.

* * *

Author's Notes: Finally finished this chapter! I didn't expect to write as much as I did. It caught me by surprise! Anyway, I hope I kept most of the cast in character. If I didn't well. . .better luck next time? Anyway, if you didn't notice before, the name of each chapter is a reference to a song. Why? I don't know. So let's make it a game. Try to guess not only the songs (because to be honest, the name of the songs will be REALLY obvious), but the band/artist these songs come from. I'll leave hints in the these notes.

Chapter 1 hint: The band has a three in their name. The name of the song's already in the title.

Chapter 2 hint: The band's initials are AS. The song should also be obvious.

Chapter 3 hint: I'll make this one easy. This band played a song in the trailer for 9. The name of the song's already in the title.

New chapter should arrive in two to three weeks.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Remember Everything For Him

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.**

My lungs burn with every breath I take. The pain. Oh god the pain! It spreads each time the boiling amber liquid licks my flesh! My skin bubbles as if it were home to millions of angry ants. They constantly bite at my insides, spreading the burning sensation throughout my entire form. Everything smells like blood! I can't get away from that horrible stench! I look up at my display screen, revealing my attacker. A formless mass is all I can detect, for the liquid in my eyes are already boiling. But I can tell what it is. An Angel.

This is the thing that's hurting me! It's the cause of all my suffering! I want to hate it! I want feel nothing but pure, unfiltered rage as I stare at this monster! Yet. . .I feel nothing.

I don't understand. This **thing** is what's killing me! So why aren't I upset? No. . .that's not it. I feel hatred, just not for this creature. It's directed elsewhere. The Angel is nothing but an annoyance. A mindless creature with no will of its own. It's pathetic. No, if I'm going to hate something, it must deserve it!

A scream escapes me as I watch my flesh peel from bone. I'm no longer in pain, but it's still a horrible sight. I want to close my eyes, but my eyelids are no longer there! Oh god! SOMEBODY HELP ME! ! !

I take a sharp inhale as I bolt up from the futon mattress I was sleeping on. My whole body's shaking and I'm drenched in sweat. It takes me a minute to calm down when I realize I'm not inside an Eva. Thank god! It was just another nightmare.

I take a quick scan of my room and realize a few things are off. For one, I'm sleeping on a thin mattress and not a bed. The room is slightly smaller than what I'm use to and. . .is that a window? I previously didn't have one of those. I can see the moon's light piercing through the night's thin veil. It's. . .kinda nice.

My brain decides to finally start working as I let out a chuckle. Of course the room is different, this isn't Nerv. I've been living with Misato for the past five days.

"Man. I must really be out of it," I tell myself. I look at my hands and they're still shaking. I feel cold, like all the warmth in my body has been sucked away. I lie back on my mattress and attempt to get some sleep. But images of flesh peeling from bone prevent me from resting. Shit! I hate feeling like this.

Seeing as I'm not getting sleep anytime soon, I get on my feet and walk around the room. After pacing for a bit, I get partially dressed - I'm already wearing black shorts so I slip on a white t-shirt - slide open the door and enter the living room. A disappointed sigh escapes me as I stare at this trash heap. Unopened boxes litter the living room as well as some of Misato's clothing. You'd think she'd have enough sense to keep her clothing (especially her panties) away from prying eyes. The kitchen fares no better. Empty beer cans are littered all over the table. Old unwashed dishes lie in the sink, giving off this weird smell.

Why hasn't this place been cleaned up yet? I'm no neat freak, my room back home wasn't the cleanest. But even I have my limits! I can't keep wading through this sea of shit! That's it! I'm cleaning this place up!

My attention goes to the dirty clothing. How am I gonna do this? At the corner of the room is an empty plastic bin. Using my feet to carry Misato's cloths ( I don't want to touch them with my hands), I throw them in the the plastic bin. After all the cloths were put up, I start moving the boxes. The ones that weren't too heavy to move, I set them in the corner of the living room. I left the rest where they were. I'll deal with those later.

Feeling a little hungry after all that work, I decide to make myself a quick breakfast. I grab six eggs from the fridge, set a clean frying pan on the kitchen stove, added oil and got to work. Few minutes later, I'm eating scrambled eggs in the living room while watching tv ( had to sit on the floor since there's no furniture). Nothing really interesting is on television. Most of the channels had boring or meh shows playing. Seriously, how is there nothing good on?

I hear a tired moan as Misato enters the living room. She's wearing EXTREMELY short shorts and a yellow blouse. I should be use to this by now. But I'm really not! How can she walk around barely wearing anything with a minor present?! Does she literally have zero fucks to give?!

I groan in slight irritation and look back at the tv.

" *Yawn* Why are you up so early?" asks Misato.

"I'm always up early," I respond.

"Yeah, at six. It's three in the morning."

". . ."

"Was it a nightmare?"

". . .Yeah. They've been happening alot lately."

"Want to talk about it?"

I pause to think for a few seconds. "No."

"Okay. If that's what you want." I turn to look at Misato. She's leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, staring off in the distance.

After a minute of silence, she breaks it. "Soooo, I notice you're always wearing that cross. Even when piloting."

"Hmmm? Oh, yeah. I rarely take this thing off." I start messing with the object hanging around my neck.

"It's important to you, is it."

"Yeah." A slight smile appears on my face. I don't know why.

"I guess that means you're religious," she says as she stretches her arms.

"Yeah, I am a bit," I admit to her. "But, that's not the main reason why I keep this thing around. I mean, it's part of the reason, but not the whole reason."

This peaks her interest. "Really? Then why do you keep it?"

"Well. . .it's kinda silly," I admit. "I made this thing a few years ago out of some old plastic. I-"

 **. . .**

What am I doing?

"Nevermind." I use my fork to poke around the nonexistent food on my plate.

Her look of curiosity changes to concern. The room returns to silence. The only noise comes from the television.

Dammit! I just had to be a little shit. I need to say something, quick! "Ummm. How about you? Are you religious? I notice you sometimes wear a cross at work."

The smile she had returns slightly. "No, I'm not religious. Though my father was. He gave me the cross you've seen me wearing. It was his last gift before he. . ."

She lingers at the last few words. I immediately understood what she tried to say. "I. . . I'm sorry for your loss."

To my surprise, she nearly bursts out laughing.

" *Snicker* Sorry," she apologizes. "It's just, I never liked my father. In fact, I hated him. He was never there to take care of his family." A bit of spite is mixed in her words. "He thought work was more important than my mother and I. So I find it funny when people think I'm saddened by his death."

I go silent, then a thought pops into my head. "But. . .if you hate him so much, why did you keep the cross he gave you.?"

A slight chuckle escapes her lips as her face molds into a thoughtful expression. "I guess it serves as a reminder. To never forget how he died."

". . .How did he die?" I ask.

Her face molds into a small frown. "He was killed during the Second Impact." She pauses for a second then exhales through her nose. Her smile returns. "Well, since I'm up, I might as well clean up the place. I see you already took care of some of the mess."

Shaking off the serious tone she had moments ago, I roll my eyes. "Well someone has to be the adult around here."

"Cute," she deadpans. "Hand me your plate."

I do as she says. She grabs the plate and walks to the kitchen sink. She seems like a nice person. I guess it was the correct choice to accept her offer to stay here. I get up and walk to the bathroom so I can prepare myself for school.

Perhaps I can trust her.

* * *

Nothing much changed during my time at school. I still can't read and I'm still failing my classes. Though, the students stopped being afraid of me. I guess Toji and Kensuke managed to quell their fears. Sadly, that meant it was back to me answering annoying questions.

Right now, I'm attending P.E. The instructor is having us jog around the school for a while. Meanwhile, the girls were allowed to go swimming in the school's pool. Lucky. Anyway, after our little run, we were allowed to do anything we wanted outside. Everyone was either playing some kind of sport or talking to their friends. I on the other hand, am resting on a grassy hill, letting my mind wander.

These nightmares I've been having, they started ever since I fought my first Angel. It's like that battle triggered something in my mind. I feel like I'm reliving an event in my past, even though the event in question never happened to me. I don't know how to explain it, but somehow I can see Shinji's memories. I can see everything that happened to him when he piloted Unit-01. Though the nightmares feel. . . incomplete. That's the best I can describe it. Whenever I would reach a certain point of the dream, either the pain would wake me up or my own fear will. I need to find out how the dream ends! I don't know why, it just feels like something I need to do. Though, I probably won't be happy with the answer I get.

"Hey Michael."

A familiar voice snaps me back to reality.

"Toji?" surprise painted all over my face. "Uhh, sup?"

"Why are ya sitting all the way over here?" he asks as he takes a seat next to me. "What, you aren't a fan of sports?"

"No. That's not it," I chuckle slightly. "I just wanted some time to think about a few things. Besides, I don't know anyone here."

Toji laughs. "What do you mean you don't know anybody? You're the most popular kid in school! People talk to you every freakin' day! Come on, you must know someone."

Now it's my turn to laugh. "You'd think so, but no. Everyone here only speaks to me because I'm different. I'm just some novelty to them. They could care less about who I am or what I like. Watch, as soon as they get over me being 'unique', they'll forget I even exist."

"Wow," says Toji, "You're a pretty depressing guy. *Snicker* You and Rei would get along perfectly."

"You think so?" I ask while laughing. "Well shit! I really am a mood killer!" My laughter eventually dies down. "It's just. . .I don't see the point in getting to know the people here. Like I said, they only see me as a novelty. Their 'nice' gestures are just an act to satisfy their curiosity. I don't need to be around people like that. Besides, I prefer being alone."

Toji becomes silent. A look of confusion displays itself on his face. He closes his eyes then sighs. A smirk replaces his confused look. "Heh, you an' Rei really are similar. Though, you talk more."

"That's not saying much," I respond wittily.

"Yeah, yeah," he responds half annoyed. He gets to his feet then scratches his nose. "Anyway, I forgot to thank you for letting me an' Kensuke see your fight against the Angel."

I shrugged. "Don't worry about it. It was the least I could do for how I treated you two."

"Hmm," Toji nods his head. "Just so you know, if you want to, you know, talk. Then you could always hang with me an' Kensuke." He then shrugs his shoulders. "Or not. It's up to you."

Huh? "You. . .you're serious?"

He nods. "Also, let me know if anyone's bothering you." He lifts his right fist slightly to the air. "I'll make sure they regret it!"

I stare at him, trying to detect any sign of insincerity. But there's none. He really meant every word he said. Why would he want to hang around me? I insulted his injured sister and almost killed him. Sure he said there were no hard feelings. But what I did was unforgivable, he should harbor some form of hatred towards me. It makes no sense, people aren't like this. Are they?

I force a smile and a chuckle. "Okay. I'll think about it."

Satisfied with my answer, he bids me farewell and let's me be.

This isn't the first time this happened to me. There were multiple instances in my life when someone would befriend me, seemingly for no reason. Eventually, I found out most of them did it out of some form of pity. These people were easy to get rid of, all I had to do was act distant towards them or be a jerk. But some of them, I couldn't pinpoint their exact reasoning for hanging around. Even if I acted like the biggest jerk or became distant, these individuals would still stay. It's almost like they genuinely cared about me. But that never made sense! Why would anyone think I'm worth their time? I have nothing to offer. I'm nobody special. I'm just. . .me.

I rest my head against the grassy hill and decide to take a nap. Maybe I'm overthinking things.

* * *

When school ends, Misato drives me to Nerv. She reminds me that Ritsuko wants to perform a synchronization test on me. Usually I dread testing. But a synchronization test is not that bad. That and Misato managed to convince Ritsuko to ease up on the testing. Glad she did that.

I'm currently sitting in my entry plug, focusing only on connecting with the Eva. It's been getting easier ever since I fought my first Angel. Though I still need some work. If I fight another one of those things, I don't want the robot to freeze up again.

"You're doing good Michael," Ritsuko tells me over the radio, "Just a few more minutes and you're done."

"Kay," I respond with my eyes closed. I still feel uncomfortable connecting with the Eva. The constant feeling of something burrowing into my head is kinda scary. No. I shouldn't let my mind wander. Focus on completing this test. Focus on the Eva.

"Ahh! Shit!" What the hell was that?! It felt like something bit me!

"Michael! What happened?" asks Ritsuko.

"I don't know!" I respond, panicking a bit. "It felt like something bi-" pain in my skull cuts me off. "Shit! What the. . . did you see that?"

"See what?" she asks.

"I thought I saw Sh-" I let out a scream as the pain spreads. Visions of blood, torn flesh and more blood flash before me. Why is there so much blood?! My skin's on fire! It hurts so fucking much! My breathing becomes ragged as my heart beats faster!

"Ritsuko, what's happening to him?!" I hear Misato ask.

"I-I don't know." As soon as the doctor said that, my Eva tears itself out of its restraints. "Oh no! It's gone berserk!"

The Eva's moving erratically. Smashing everything within its reach. With each movement, my pain increases. The images in my head appear more frequently, smashing themselves against my skull. The pain makes it hard to think! Why do these images look familiar?

My Eva looks at the window Ritsuko and Misato are standing behind. A familiar rage pulsates throughout my entire body as the Eva readies itself to attack.

"No you don't! ! !" I tighten my grip on the control handles and pull them back. This stops the Eva's attack. It takes everything in my power to keep this thing under control. My skin feels like it's boiling! Shit! It hurts so much! ! ! But the pain makes me realize why the images look familiar.

"Do something!" Misato demands.

"Shutting off main power." Ritsuko says aloud.

"DON'T YOU DARE! ! !" I scream at Ritsuko. "I NEED TO SEE THIS THROUGH! ! !"

"Michael I can't let you do that!" Ritsuko explains. "It's too dangerous to keep Unit-01 active when it's berserk!"

"Please. . .let. . .me. . .do this!" I say in between pained breaths. "I can. . .hold it back!"

"Michael! Why-" Misato starts.

"I need to do this! ! !" I yell at her. "Just give me two minutes! ! !"

For a few seconds, Misato doesn't say a word. "Ritsuko. Keep the Eva running."

"Misato!" Ritsuko starts, "I can't let this cont-"

"Just trust me on this! ! !"

". . . *Sigh* As you wish Captain Katsuragi."

Internally thanking Misato, I focus on the images I'm seeing. They're slowing down, becoming more clear. Come on! Just a bit longer!

Everything goes black.

* * *

"Can anyone hear me! ! ?" I scream out, desperate for someone, anyone to respond. The Eva's display screen is broken, so I don't know what's happening outside. But I know it's nothing good. Nothing good ever happens to me. What did I do to deserve this?! Oh god, is. . .is that my skin? That smell! That horrible smell! Get me out of this thing! ! !

"Misato! Father! Someone! Anyone! Please help me! My skin is burning! Oh god! Everything smells like blood! I'm going to die! ! !" Somebody help me, please! Somebody talk to me! Tell me someone can fix this! ! !

"AAAHHHH! ! ! !" One of my eyes, it just. . . just. . .popped! My stomach empties all its contents. The undigested food floats around the boiling LCL as my body shakes in agony. My insides hurt! My skin it. . . it. . .peels off my body! Sickening popping and scraping noises resonate throughout my entire form. I want to look away! I want to close my eyes and pretend this isn't happening! But I can't, my eyelids are gone.

Why won't somebody do something? Did they just. . .abandon me? No. No! They couldn't have left me! Not in this thing! Nobody's that cruel! But why? Why-

"WHY WON'T SOMEBODY HELP MEEEEEEEEEEE! ! ! ! ! ? ? ?

 **. . .**

Nobody's coming.

I'm. . .alone. They just left me here to die. Am I not worth saving?

A tear exits my remaining eye as it dissolves into the LCL.

 **. . .**

"Fuck you." I say under my breath. "Fuck you! Fuck you! ! ! FUCK YOU! ! !"

Misato, Dr. Akagi, Father, everyone! I did what they wanted! I got in this stupid thing! And this is how they repay me?! I'm dying and they couldn't care less! I'm just a tool to them! Something to be used and thrown away! ! !

"I HATE YOU! ! ! I HATE YOU ALL! ! !" I scream with everything I have! I never wanted any of this! I just wanted to be needed! I just wanted to feel like I belong! I thought coming here would give me what I was looking for. Obviously I was wrong!

 **. . .**

Nobody cares about me. Nobody on this entire planet will even notice I'm gone. If that's how Father. . .no. . .if that's how the world is going to be, then everyone can die for all I care. Death is what they deserve.

The world begins to fade as my brain seizes function. I'm no longer in pain and it's quiet. My body eventually stops resisting and accepts its fate. It won't be long now.

My soul hurts.

 **. . .**

Mother?

* * *

The Eva stops moving. Tears are pouring down my face. My throat burns and my chest hurts. I can't stop shaking. . .I. . . I can't stay still. My vision becomes blurry as more tears exit my eyes.

Those. . .those were his last thoughts. What I'm feeling right now was exactly how he felt. This hate, this feeling of being abandoned, somehow is worse than being boiled alive. It. . .was hell.

"Michael. Are you okay?" I hear Misato ask cautiously.

Rage. When she spoke, I felt rage. I have to force myself not to yell at her.

"Michael?" she repeats herself, now sounding worried.

I sit in my entry plug for a good minute. Eventually, I push a button which allows me to exit the Eva. After forcing the LCL out of my lungs, I walk out of the test chamber and into the control room. Initially, I plan to go somewhere quiet as quickly as possible, but Misato has other plans.

"Michael wait!" Misato chases me down and grabs my left wrist. "What happened in there?"

"I don't want to talk about it." I manage to say calmly.

"You saw something didn't you?" she asks.

"What if I did?" I nearly snap at her.

"Please, tell me what happened in there. I know it's bothering you. Maybe there's something I can do to hel-"

"Leave me alone! ! !" I slap her hand off my wrist. "There's nothing you can do to help!"

"Michael I-"

"Shut up! ! ! I-" I want to tell her how much I hate her. I want to yell and scream at her. I want to hurt her! But instead of succumbing to my anger, I merely look away. "Just leave me alone. I can't be around you right now."

A mixed bag of emotions carves their way on to her face. Confusion, worry, sadness and a few other's I can't recognize. I need to go. If I stay here, I'm gonna say something I'll later regret. I run out of the control room and down the halls of Nerv. I don't stop until I find an area devoid of people. I sit on the ground and lean my back against a wall. More tears fall as I sob uncontrollably.

After a few minutes of crying, I sit there in a daze. I feel like a living corpse. I've become numb to the reality I'm living in. Maybe I really am asleep. . .or I'm dead. Maybe this is hell. I don't know anymore. I continue to stare as the floor.

What happened to Shinji wasn't fair! I hate Nerv! I hate Ritsuko! I hate Gendo! I even hate Misato! I hate this entire fucking planet! ! !

 **. . .**

Why? Why did this have to happen? I don't want to hate Misato. She gave me a place to stay. She's always nice to me. I hate feeling this way! Misato already blames herself for what happened to Shinji, she doesn't need to feel any worse. Hell, it wasn't entirely her fault!

I really don't want to hate her. I want to pretend I don't feel this rage. But I can't help it! Shinji hated everyone for what happened to him! And he had every damn right to hate them! He came here looking for answers, and all he got was a coffin. The people here forced a burden on someone who was ill equipped to bear the weight. And because of that, he's gone.

"Michael?" Misato? It looks like she found me.

" . . ."

"A-are you alright?"

". . ." I wrap my arms around my knees and bury my face in them.

"What you saw. Was it Shinji?"

How did she. . .? I look at Misato. A pained expression displays itself on her face. "I-I saw how he died." I explain, "I felt what he felt. It. . .was hell."

A single tear rolls down her face. She looks down, hair covering her face. "You must hate me."

No. No don't do this!

"The way you looked at me when you came out of Unit-01. . .it was a look of pure disgust." She covers her mouth with her hand, an attempt to dampen her sobs. "I-I don't blame you. I'm a terrible person. I forced Shinji into the Eva, even though he begged not to pilot that thing! I was so damn focused on the mission that I couldn't see a scared kid! I only saw him as a tool to defeat the Angels. I threw him out there without thinking and. . .dammit! I-"

"Stop that." She stops her rant and looks at me. "I don't hate you. It's just. . .I'm confused and. . . Let's just go home. I just-" I pull my knees closer to me. "I just want to go home."

* * *

When Misato and I return to the apartment, I immediately go to my room and stay there for the remainder of the day. Every once in awhile I would leave my room to get some food or use the restroom. But I always returned to my room. I would just lie on my mattress and stare blankly at the ceiling.

There's so much pain. Not the physical kind, but kind that digs into your very soul. I feel like there's needles under my skin. My stomach is full of clay and my eyes feel like cotton. The thing is, I don't even mind the pain anymore. My ability to care vanished after staying in one spot for so long. I've lost the will to do anything but stay still. I can't even fall asleep.

 **. . .**

I want to go home.

Sometime around eight, I hear Misato invite someone over for dinner. After an hour of listening, I realize the person she invited was Ritsuko. I overhear bits and pieces of their conversation. They talk about work related topics, gossip, you know, things only adults care about. They eventually start talking about me and my "incident" at Nerv. I'm not sure exactly what they were saying, I'm only half listening. But I can tell Misato feels like complete shit. I mentally curse myself for making her feel like that. When Ritsuko leaves, I hear Misato walk near my room and stop. There was a long pause, almost like she was hesitating to do or say something. Eventually, she left.

I couldn't sleep that night.

It's six in the morning and I'm in the kitchen making breakfast. I don't have much to look forward to today. It's the weekend, so there's nothing on my metaphorical schedule. I still feel like shit, perhaps from my lack of sleep. On the bright side, that horrible feeling from yesterday died down, though not completely. I finish what I'm making and sit down at the dinner table, prepared to eat.

I hear a door slide open and see Misato enter the kitchen. She's followed by a weird looking penguin. Huh, almost forgot Pen Pen lived here. Anyway, Misato grabs a beer from and some food from the fridge. She the opens a kitchen cabinet and pulls out a bowl with Pen Pen's name on it. She pours half her food in the bowl and lies it on the floor as she takes a seat at the dinner table, far from my end. Pen Pen looks at Misato, seemingly in confusion. It begins to squawk and Misato glares at the bird, obviously annoyed. It continues squawking until Misato shuts it up by pouring half her beer into a spare cup. She hands it to the penguin. The bird then proceeds to drink the beer!

During my time here, I've **never** seen that bird drink beer! I mean, I knew Misato fed Pen Pen human food, but THIS is ridiculous! The absurdity of the situation earns a chuckle out of me.

Misato took notice of my outburst and smiles. It was only for a moment though, for she went back to her neutral expression.

"So. . .how did you sleep?" she asks.

"Fine, I guess." I continue eating the eggs on my plate.

"Hmm," she begins drinking her beer.

"Bit early for beer." I state dryly.

"It's five o'clock somewhere," she says as if it were a valid reason to be drinking at this time. "By the way, Ritsuko gave me this last night." She shows an I.D. card with Rei's picture on it. "Turns out she forgot to give the updated version to Rei. She's gonna need it in order to make it to Unit-00's reactivation."

"Ah, right. I almost forgot about that." I tell her. "It'd be nice not having to fight alone. Want me to take it too her?"

A thoughtful expression appears on her face. "Guess it couldn't hurt. I'll go with you."

"Actually. . .I would like to go alone."

There was silence between us for a few seconds.

"Oh. . .kay, I get it." A bit of disappointment is mixed into her words. "Do you know where she lives?"

"Umm. . .kinda."

She sees through my lie quite easily. Much to my surprise, a small smile appears on her face. She sighs as she walks to her room. Few minutes later, she comes out with a cellphone and a map.

"This is where she lives," Misato points to a spot on the map. "If you get lost, call me." She hands me the cellphone. "You know my number, right?"

I nod.

"Good." She walks back into the kitchen. "I'll see you when you get back."

Two hours later, I'm taking a train to Rei's apartment. I'm constantly looking at the map to see which route I'll be taking. It's a bit difficult to understand the layout, with me being a foreigner and all. Luckily, Misato wrote down some notes at the back of the map. It's in romaji! During my time living with her, she quickly found out I could read japanese if it uses the latin alphabet. So anytime she wanted to leave a note for me to read, she would write it in romaji. That's what makes her so great! She didn't have to do all that yet she did anyway!

 **. . .**

I just wish this anger would go away.

I eventually make it to my stop and get off the train. According to the map, my destination is a fifteen minute walk from the station. That's not so bad. So I start my trip to Rei's place. On my way to the apartment, I notice this neighborhood is pretty ruff looking. Trash is littered everywhere, and broken windows are a common sight. The place seems to get worse the closer I get to my destination. Though, I find it odd I don't see anyone around. Not even a homeless person. Also, this place is oddly quiet. It's like the whole neighborhood has been abandoned.

I finally reach Rei's apartment, and like the rest of the buildings here, it seems abandoned. I climb a few flights of stairs and reach the door with Rei's apartment number. The mail slot is stuffed with unread letters. I knock a few times on the door and take a seat near it. I know the door's unlocked, but I'm not gonna barge in. Partially because it would be rude and partially because I don't want to run into naked Rei. Sometimes, I'm thankful for some of the knowledge I brought into this world. It allows me to avoid embarrassing situations. Sure, Rei probably won't mind being seen naked, but that doesn't matter. I'm no perv.

A few minutes pass by and I knock on the door again. There's no reply. How long do I have to wait here? Just as I'm about to knock again, the door opens.

Rei's wearing her usual school uniform, even though today's a weekend. Then again, I've never seen her without her school uniform, so it's not an unusual sight. The only thing different about her is she isn't all bandaged up. When she sees me, she pauses briefly. She then returns her attention elsewhere as walks past me.

I let out a slight chuckle at this action. I should've expected this.

"Rei, wait up."

She stops walking then returns her attention to me. I walk up to her and pull out her I.D. card out of my pocket. "Ritsuko forgot to give this to you yesterday."

Without hesitation, she grabs the card from my hand and walks off.

"Hmph. Could've at least said 'thank you'," I mutter under my breath. I guess I can go home now that I'm done here. But. . .

"Hey, you don't mind if I follow you back to HQ, right? I kinda got lost on the way here."

She doesn't say anything, she just continues walking. She either didn't hear me or didn't care. Probably both. I sigh and decide to follow her anyway. I'll call Misato when I get to Nerv so she'll know where I am. I'm just. . .not ready to go back to the apartment.

Rei and I are currently on a train heading to the Geofront. The vehicle is practically empty and is silent. The only noises that can be heard is the shaking of metal and the movement of pistons. Rei and I are sitting opposite to each other. I'm mostly napping throughout the whole trip. Every once in awhile I will sneak glances at Rei. She on the other hand, stares at her lap and stays still.

She hasn't moved ever since she got on the train. She's practically a statue. I would've thought she was asleep if her eyes weren't open. I don't know why, but suddenly what Toji said to me yesterday pops into my head. Are Rei and I really that similar? I take a moment to think about it and. . .some of her actions do remind me of myself. From the way she carries herself to how she prefers isolation over company. Huh. I guess there are some similarities. Thinking about Rei brings up memories of when I first met her. I acted like a jerk during our first encounter. Our second encounter didn't fair any better. I almost had her killed. I acted like such a coward.

I exhale through my nose and speak. "I. . .I'd like to apologize."

This gets Rei to look away from her lap and towards me. A neutral expression paints her face. "For what?"

I shift my weight in my seat and decide to elaborate. "For how I've treated you. When I was asked to pilot Unit-01, I tried to shift my responsibility onto you. Even though you were too weak to pilot."

". . ."

"You could've died, but I was more concerned with saving my own skin. It was a shitty thing to do, and for that I'm sorry." Rei doesn't say anything. This doesn't surprise me, though I expected some kind of reaction. A memory of the movies pop into my head concerning Rei. Her apathetic attitude to my apology is starting to make sense. She thinks she's nothing but a tool to be used. That if something were to happen to her, she can easily be replaced. So her life doesn't matter. She doesn't care about herself.

 **. . .**

Sadly, another thing we have in common.

"I know you probably don't care about what happens to you, so my apology probably doesn't mean much. But I just needed to get this off my chest. I acted like a jerk and you didn't deserve that. No one should be forced into an Eva." An image of Shinji's boiled corpse pops into my head, causing me to shiver. "No one deserves that."

In the corner of my eyes, I notice Rei's expression change slightly.

"Anyway," I continue, trying to push any negative thoughts to the back of my head. "Good luck on Unit-00's reactivation. I'll be looking forward to working with you."

Rei just stares at me with a look of curiosity. Eventually, she looks back to her lap and returns to being a statue. I take a nap, feeling like a weight has been lifted. The rest of the trip was uneventful.

* * *

Misato and I are in a hallway, looking out a small window to observe Unit-00's reactivation. After a few minutes of just staring at the robot, the test ends. Looks like everything went well.

"Oh!" I dig into my pocket and pull out the cellphone Misato gave me. "Almost for forgot to give this back."

Misato raises her hand and shakes her head. "No, you keep it. I meant to give you one eventually."

"Uhhh, thanks." She responds with a smile.

We both go silent for a few seconds until I decide to speak again. "Listen. . .about this morning. I-"

"I get it," Misato says casually. A shit eating grin then appears on her face. "I mean, you could've just told me you wanted some alone time with Rei."

My eyes nearly pop out of my head. "What?!"

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," she says as she shrugs her shoulders. "But I gotta say, I didn't expect you to do that sort of thing."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU IMPLYING? ! ? ! ?" I shriek.

"Calm down. I told you it's nothing to be embarrassed about." That stupid smirk is still painted on her face.

"Oh my g- you're suppose to be the adult! Act like one! ! !" Misato sticks her tongue out in response. "You're such a kid. And you wonder why you're single."

I swear I saw steam blow out her ears as she gets me in a headlock. "What was that?! I didn't quite hear you?!"

I struggle against her grip as I let out a laugh. "You heard me! An old lady shouldn't act like a toddler!"

A vein appears on her forehead. It looks like it's gonna burst. "How old do you think I am?" she asks in a dangerously calm voice.

"Hmm," a smirk appears on my face. "You're in your sixties, right?"

The hallway becomes dead silent. "You're dead."

Worth it.

Before she can do anything, we both hear a loud beeping noise. She let's go of me and pulls out a device from her pocket. She takes a quick look at it then turns to me.

"There's a new Angel."

Moments later we're in the Command Center. The room is pretty large and is kinda shaped like a castle. Misato and I are standing at the top section of the room. This allows me to get a good view of the lower sections. It's filled with Nerv employees, each busy typing away on their computers or yelling orders at each other. There's a giant screen at the front of the room, which seems to be the center of attention. A chill runs up my spine as I see what's displayed on the screen. A large, light-blue octahedron is floating above Tokyo-3.

I already know about this Angel. It has a particle beam that can melt through almost anything. I also know it's A.T. Field is extremely powerful. Shit! If I go out there I'm going to lose. . .or worse.

"What do we know about this Angel," Misato asks Ritsuko.

"Not much," the doctor responds, "We just know its A.T. Field is constantly changing."

A large exhale escapes Misato's lips as she taps her feet.

"Send out Unit-01." At the sound of Gendo's voice, everyone including myself looks up at the commander, sitting at the highest part of the room.

"Will we be sending out Unit-00 as well?" Misato asks.

"No," Gendo responds, "Rei is not yet fit to battle."

Just what I wanted to hear. I let out a frustrated sigh.

Misato gives a concerned look. At first I'm confused, until it finally hits me.

"Don't worry," I tell her, "This time I'm ready. There's no running from this."

She nods and smiles at me.

Suddenly, an idea pops into my head. "Hey. Can I suggest something?"

"Hmm? Sure."

Thirty minutes later, I'm piloting Unit-01 in Tokyo-3. As part of my suggestion, I'm stationed a few miles away from the Angel, hiding behind a building. Just as I predicted, the Angel hasn't seen me. From what I remember, this creature can only detect me at a certain distance. So as long as I stay far away from the creature, I have the advantage. Of course, this plan isn't perfect. If I attack it, the Angel will immediately know where I am and retaliate. Currently, I've equipped my Eva with a high powered sniper rifle. It's not powered by the entire city, but I'm certain it'll get the job done. The rifle doesn't need to pierce the enemy's A.T. Field, it just needs to allow me to attack at a comfortable distance.

The Angel continues floating around aimlessly as I prepare myself. I take a deep breath and take aim. A large explosion is heard as the bullet leaves barrel and flies toward my target. The bullet just bounces of the creatures A.T. field.

Its reaction is immediate. It let's out a high pitched scream as it changes shape, revealing its core. A crimson light appears in front of the core as it shoots a beam of energy in my direction.

I will my Eva to dodge the incoming attack, and it does so successfully. But the Angel won't let up. It continues firing a continuous stream of energy which forces me to run in circles around the creature. I expected this to happen, but I had hoped it would at least give me time to breath. Doesn't matter, I got it to do what I want. It's core is exposed!

While running I aim the best I can at the Angel's core. Tightening my grip around the control handles and fire a few rounds at the creature. All of them miss. Shit!

"EEEEEEEAHHHH! ! !" the Angel screams in apparent frustration as it once again changes shape. Multiple triangular shapes stick out of the Angel's original form, each with a crimson ball of light floating around them. The lights let out an explosion of energy, death beams are flying everywhere.

"Oh sh-" that was all I could get out before one of those beams hits my Eva, creating a huge explosion. The pain was so intense I couldn't even scream. When the dust finally settled, I can see the Angel is readying itself for another attack. I try to move, but the Eva is struggling to get on its feet. The Angel fires another beam of light towards me. Oh no.

Before the beam can hit me, several metal structures extend from the ground and block the attack. The structures only slow down the death beam, but it gives me enough time to escape. I will my Eva to move as fast as it can away from Angel and it runs to the furthest building. When I've gain enough distance, I take a look at the structures which acted as a shields. They are now nothing but clumps of melted metal. My body becomes cold as I continue to stare. That could've been me.

"What was that?" I ask myself.

"Those were blast shields," responds Misato over the radio.

"Blast shields? Didn't know we had those," I say as I let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks for that. You really saved my ass."

"Don't mention it. Though, it didn't look like they did much to stop the Angel's attack."

She's right, each shield lasted about three to five seconds. They can't do much in ways of protection.

"Oh no. Michael! It's preparing for another attack!"

I peak out from the building I was hiding behind to see another beam of light coming towards me. I once again will my Eva to get the hell out of there. I run between buildings hoping they would provide some decent cover, but the Angel's attack easily cuts through them. While running I take aim at the Angel's exposed core. I can't afford to miss this time. I fire and the bullet flies through the air. It hits its mark. The core cracks which causes the Angel to revert back to its original form.

"Hell yeah!" Just one more hit and it's done for!

"EEEEEEEAHHHH! ! !" the Angel, clearly pissed, shoots multiple beams of energy in my direction. One of them hits the rifle, causing it the explode in my face. Another laser severs my umbilical cable, leaving me with limited power. The rest of the energy beams hits the ground I'm standing on, creating a shockwave that pushes me through a few buildings.

"Ugh! Crap!" The Angel readies itself for another attack. This time, I'm able to run before the energy beam hits me. The creature shoots a continuous beam of death, following me wherever I go.

Dammit! If I don't do something, it's gonna kill me!

"Michael, you need to retreat!" Misato commands over the radio.

"I don't think that things gonna let me," I retort as I jump over another beam of energy. It's constant attacking doesn't give me enough time to escape! Hell, I can't even grab a weapon or insert an umbilical cable because there's barely time for me to breath! Also, I'm on borrowed time. So I can't keep running around all day. If only I had some kind of shield, then I could escape or get close enough with my knife.

 **. . .**

I have an idea.

"Misato! Can you set a series of blast shields in front of the Angel?"

She pauses for exactly three seconds. "Yeah, but why would you want that? Those things barely stood a chance!"

"No time to explain," I respond in a hurried tone. "On my command, set a line of blast shields in front of the Angel! I'll handle the rest!"

She lets out a sound of approval as I pull out my Progressive Knife. I continue running until I find the perfect position. Forty-five seconds left. That's all I need.

"NOW! ! !" As soon as I said that, a series of blast shields pop up from the ground. They all line themselves up in front of the Angel. I let out a primal yell as I command my Eva to run towards the shields. A large boom can be heard as the Eva breaks the sound barrier. Pushing this thing to its absolute limits, I crash my Eva into one of the shields, ripping it off the ground. Using my left arm, and using the forward momentum, I keep hold of the large structure as I crash into another shield. I continue stacking the shields until I'm directly in front of the Angel.

"EEEEEEEAHHHH! ! !" it shoots another beam of energy towards me. The blast shields in front of the creature, plus the ones I stacked together are enough to resist the assault. As I get closer to the creature, the beam's intensity increases. It's enough to slow me down, but not enough to stop me.

This is gonna work! I just have to keep moving forward!

Twenty seconds left!

"A.T. Field full power! ! !" The invisible field surrounding my Eva, increases in strength and spreads around the blast shields.

I'm close enough to the Angel that I can almost touch it's core. The stacking shields are disintegrating as I attempt to pierce the red orb.

Fifteen seconds left, and half the shields are gone.

My knife is a few feet away from the core. I need to get closer.

Ten seconds left, and two shields still remain.

The heat is becoming unbearable. I feel like a cooked lobster. Ignore it! I need to focus on killing this thing! My knife is so close it's nearly scratching the red orb. Just a bit closer!

Seven seconds left, all I have is my A.T. Field.

Oh god this hurts! ! ! Ignore it! ! ! This is nothing! ! ! Shinji's flesh was torn from bone! His eyes popped and his insides boiled! This pain is NOTHING compared to that! ! ! I can do this! I can kill this thing! I'm so close! I can-

The Eva shuts down. A second later, I feel a searing pain spread across my body followed by an impact. When the pain disappears, I look up at the display screen and see it's shut off. No. No! NO! ! !

"GET UP DAMN IT! ! ! !" I start hitting the controls. My rage was short lived as the LCL boils around me.

"AHHHHH! ! ! !"

Everything goes black.

* * *

Author's Notes: Phew! I finally finished this chapter! Pretty proud of the end result. Anyway, thank you guys for following and reviewing. It's nice to know people like this story. I also would like to thank **Thomas Drovin** for reminding me to put a disclaimer at the beginning of each chapter. I wasn't exactly sure if I should or not, so thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Also, I'm still gonna continue that musical guessing game. I just find it fun to do. :P

Chapter 4 hint: The band's name is a reference to the movie **King Boxer** , though the movie is more widely known by another name. Look closely at the chapter's title to find the song's name.

New chapter will arrive in a few weeks.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Breathe Into Me

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.**

I'm use to pain. After being beaten so long, (sometimes with a belt with metal rings embedded in it) I've learned to make myself numb. You want to know how I do it? Do you want to know how to no longer feel pain? It's quite simple really. All you have to do is distance yourself emotionally. That's it! You see, things only hurt if you give the pain attention. So when you've reached a point when you don't care anymore, the pain stops. Well, it doesn't stop per se, you just don't mind it. Sort of like what happens to a person's nightmares when you remove the frontal lobe. The person will still have nightmares, it's just the fear is no longer there. It's kinda cool when you think about it. It's like a special technique that only my brother and I know about. At the ripe age of eleven, I've found a way to not feel what the rest of humanity fears. Again, it's kinda cool.

 **. . .**

So. . .why? Why am I crying? All she did was slap me. It's nothing compared to the sting of a belt or a ruler. I didn't even feel anything! So why does it feel like my heart's being crushed?!

 **. . .**

Perhaps it was that look she gave me? The look of pure disgust and rage. She. . .she hates me? I didn't think it was possible for a mother to hate her child. My stomach ties itself into several knots as I remember the shouting match that happened moments ago. The unfounded accusation she kept throwing around confused and. . .wounded me. She kept yelling, saying that the devil is gonna drag me to hell for what I did. Not once did it cross her mind that she was wrong. Her pride wouldn't allow it. According to her, she was always right. I hate that about her.

Maybe I'm crying because of how. . .powerless I felt then. Whenever I would attempt to tell my side of the story, she would either yell or hit me. At one point, she nearly attacked Shane! He stood up for me, daring to do the unthinkable, refuting her claims with fact. She quickly shut him up by threatening to beat him. I was filled with so much rage! How dare she threaten him! Yet, despite my anger, I did nothing.

She threatened to tell my friends all the bad things I apparently did if I didn't straighten my behavior. I was so scared. If she actually follows through on her threat, then I don't know what I'd do. They will think I'm such a freak, a monster even! Will they even want to hang around me after that? Will they even believer her? Will her lies spread throughout my whole school?! I-I don't know how I could deal with that.

This isn't fair! What did I do to deserve this?! Did I look at her wrong or say something to upset her? What the hell did I do?! There's no way she could say these things for no reason! ! !

More tears pour down my face. I try to hold back my sobs. I don't want to give her the satisfaction. I won't let her know she hurt me.

I hear a knock on the bathroom door and voice soon follows. "You. . .you can come out now. Mom's gone."

I just about broke down again. So much pain and fear is mixed into my brother's words. I'm such a shitty brother! Big brothers are suppose to protect their younger siblings, both physically and mentally. Yet I can't do either! Hell, he nearly got hurt because of me! What kind of big brother can't do the **one** thing he's suppose to do?! And what about my friends? How will their lives be affected due to mom's false truths?

"Kay," I respond to Shane, trying to sound strong. "I'll be out there in a minute."

I can't do anything. I can't protect my brother from my mother. I can't protect my friends from the lies. All I can do, all I ever do, is sit around and do nothing. I just lock myself away, in the deepest depths of my mind, and try to bear the pain.

What. . .what if I just disappeared? Everything will be better, right? Mom only messes with Shane when I'm involved. So if I were gone, he would have a better life. Right?

A sigh escapes me as I shake my head. I can't leave him. . .at least not yet. But I can leave my friends. It's not like I was any use to them anyway. I'll just cause them trouble in the long run. They'll get over my absence quickly. Hopefully, they'll forget I even exist.

I got off the toilet I was sitting on and attempt to open the door. Suddenly, I stop. I don't know why, but the mirror caught my eye. I glance at the object then quickly look away. Pathetic. The image of a failure.

A quote pops into my head. Don't remember where I heard it before or why I'm thinking about it now. But it feels appropriate.

"Mirrors are the devil's domain."

* * *

Beep! . . . Beep! . . . Beep!

Noise. Annoying. Someone turn it off. I'm trying to sleep.

Beep! . . . Beep! . . . Beep!

Dammit! Fine I'm up!

I open my eyes and am met with a familiar sight. A white ceiling. The bed I'm lying on is so comfortable. Much better than the mattress I sleep on at Misato's place. I almost fall back to sleep, but the constant beeping prevents me from doing so. Seeing as I'm not going to get rest, I decide to review my situation.

Let's see, I'm obviously in a hospital. The thing is, how did I get here? I remember going to school, getting into Unit-01 and-

Memories of my battle rush into my brain, nearly giving me a heart attack. The heart monitor's beeping increases in frequency as I attempt to calm myself. I put my hand against my chest and start to slow my breathing. Just then, I noticed something. My chest is bare. I lift my bed sheets slightly. . . yep, I'm naked. Why the hell am I naked?

I let out an irritated groan and begin to scan the room. It looks like I'm alone. Wait, where's my cross? Did the hospital staff take it or did it get lost? Shit, I hope it isn't lost!

My nerves finally settle when I spot the object hanging on the left side of the bed railing. I grab the object and put it around my neck. Seeing as no one's here, I decide to get out of bed. I immediately regret it as all my muscles scream at me, demanding rest. I ignore their complaints. Using the bed sheets to cover myself, I walk around the room, looking for clothes. One of the draws in the corner of the room only haves hospital gowns. No time to be picky. I groan as I abandon my sheets and put on the gown.

When I'm fully dressed, I leave the room and wander around the hospital. Since I'm not wearing any shoes, I can feel how cold the floor is here. It's like I stepped in an ice rink. Eventually, I get use to the feeling and take in my surroundings. You know, for a hospital, it's pretty empty. There's barely anyone out here. Every once in awhile I would run into someone wearing a hospital uniform, but most of the time the halls were empty. Perhaps the hospital part of Nerv is for pilots only. That would explain why the place seems vacant. Though if I'm right, this is kinda fucked up. Where does everyone else go if their injured?

After walking around for awhile, I decide to take a seat near a large window, giving me a clear view of the Geofront. Judging from the lighting, it's probably six or seven in the afternoon. This is one of the few times the Geofront actually looks nice. The way the orange sun rays pierce the reinforced glass ceiling, gives the place a fiery aura. It makes the usually bland forest, feel warm and welcoming.

My body shivers as I once again think about my fight with the Angel. This makes it the second time I almost died. And the worst part, it was completely avoidable! What the hell was I thinking?! I should've just used the shields to run away! There was no way I could've killed that creature with the amount of power I had left! It was a stupid and reckless thing to do! My shivering increases as I think about the LCL boiling around me. I almost died just like him. Dammit! How could I be so stupid?!

"Pilot Hart," Rei's voice cuts me out of my thoughts. I look away from the large window to see her standing with a food cart in front of her. "You have awoken earlier than expected."

She grabs a tray of food on the cart's top shelf and hands it to me.

"Thank you," I tell her as I grab the food. Let's see, eggs, toast and some OJ. Looks like someone hired a decent chief this time. Let's hope it's as good as it looks. As I dig in, Rei once again speaks up.

"I am to brief you on our schedule." She pulls out a small book, opens it, and begins to read aloud. "Operation Yashima is to begin at midnight. Pilots will arrive in the Eva cages at 17:30. At 18:00, the Evas will be activated. At 18:05, the Evas will be deployed. Pilots will arrive at the temporary base located within Mt. Futago at 18:30. Pilots will wait for further instructions." She pulls out a clear plastic bag from the food cart's second shelf and tosses it to me. I catch it, and see it's a plugsuit. "It's a new one."

"Thanks," I reply. Gulping down some more food, I decide to ask a question. "Why such a large time gap between the start of the mission and our arrival?"

"Unit-01 is being repaired," she simply states.

I scratch the side of my nose and laugh a bit. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"Why are you apologizing?" she asks.

"It's because of my stupidity that Unit-01 even needs repairs. I thought it was a good idea to charge directly into the Angel's attack with limited power. Don't know what I was thinking."

"The task of Eva pilots is to destroy the Angels," Rei says matter-of-factly. "You were simply attempting to accomplish that task."

"Yeah, guess you're right." Running my hand through my dreads, I realize there's no hair-band. Shit, my hair must look wild. "Still, it doesn't change that what I did was stupid."

Rei doesn't say anything.

I let out a laugh as I rest my hands on my knees. "I just realized something. I keep doing stupid shit then apologizing for it later. I've been doing that ever since I got here. I apologized to Toji and Kensuke after taking things too far during our fight. I apologized to Misato after being such a little shit. I apologized to you after almost having you killed! Now I'm going to have to apologize to Misato **again** , after making her feel like shit!"

My laughter dies down, a sad smile creeps its way onto my lips. "I'm such a screw-up. It's nice to know dimension hopping didn't change that."

Rei remains quiet. When I look at her, curiosity is painted all over her face. Don't know why I'm telling her all this. A light chuckle escapes me as I get up and hand her my empty tray. "Thanks for the meal."

Her expression returns to a neutral state. She puts the empty tray back on the food cart.

"Nerv staff will arrive shortly. They will provide you with civilian clothing," she explains. "Remain where you are."

She pushes the food cart past me and leaves. When she's out of sight, I once again return my attention to the large window.

* * *

It's been hours (a day to be more precise) since I was allowed leave the hospital. I used the time I had to wander around Nerv. I'm dressed in my regular clothes ( an unzipped jacket with a grey shirt underneath and baggy jeans) and have my dreadlocks tied back. Walking through the halls has become something of a hobby of mine. I never did get a good look of Nerv HQ, even when I use to live here. Thankfully, there's a lot to look at. I've passed by several training facilities, rooms full of machines and several pools. Perhaps this place isn't as bad as I remember. I mean, I only had a bad time because I had to deal with Ritsuko and the Eva. Eventually, I come across someone yelling a number of profanities at a vending machine. Just the person I was looking for.

"Careful. You'll hurt its feelings." I alert Misato.

My voice immediately catches her attention. She turns around and displays an embarrassed smile before quickly composing herself. "How long were you standing there?"

"Long enough," I say with a smirk.

A chuckle escapes her lips as she walks up to me. "I was afraid you'd say that," she rests her hand on my shoulder and adopts are concerned look. "Are you feeling alright?"

I nod.

"Good," she says, relieved at the news. "I'm sorry I couldn't visit you in the hospital."

"I understand," I respond. "You were busy."

Guilt is gnawing away at me. It causes me to momentarily look away. "Misato. I. . . *sigh* I need to tell you something."

Concern onces again molds onto her face, but it quickly turns to a smile. "Okay, but let's talk in the cafeteria. I'm starving and that **thing** obviously isn't gonna give me what I paid for," she says as she glares at the vending machine.

I nod and gesture for her to lead the way. Moments later, we're inside the cafeteria sitting in one of the tables. Misato's eating bread, mashed potatoes and some other food I can't quite identify. Glad I decided not to eat here, it's like the cafeteria staff is trying to kill everyone who works here. Though, Misato doesn't seem to mind the food, but that's not saying much. Her idea of a well balanced meal is overcooked ramen mixed with some slop she found at the back of the fridge. Heh, she's kinda like my brother in that regard.

"So, what did you want to want to tell me?" she asks in between bites.

"Well," I start as I rub the back of my neck. "I want to apologize for what happened during my last synchronization test."

The smile she was wearing quickly disappears. She opens her mouth to say something but I cut her off. "Before you say anything, I want you to know you didn't do anything wrong. You have nothing to apologize for."

Misato looks down at the table. "But-"

"No! Don't start!" I raise my voice slightly. "Shinji died. And yeah, that's pretty shitty. But blaming yourself for what happened isn't gonna bring him back!"

She doesn't say anything, a look of shock is presented on her face.

"You did what you thought was right and no one has any right to judge you for what happened! If someone else was put in your position, they would've done the exact same thing! Hell, if it's anyone's fault it's Gendo's. He's the one who thought it was a good idea to put his untrained son in an Eva. A pretty stupid move if you ask me."

"So, just accept my apology." I smile a bit. "I made you feel like shit, which was stupid of me. *Sigh* I just took out my frustrations on you **again** , even after I promised would no longer do that. Man, I'm a real piece of work."

I feel something warm on my right hand. Misato's hand is on top of mine, a comforting gesture. I resist the urge to pull away, I'm not use to that kind of physical contact. It's. . .confusing? Is that the right word? I turn away from her gaze, an attempt to hide my embarrassment.

"Perhaps we both need to stop being so hard on ourselves," Misato suggests. Eventually, releasing my hand. "It will make both our lives a lot easier."

"Yeah," I respond, smiling nervously.

"Now," Misato stretches her arms as she gets to her feet. "It's almost time for the mission briefing. We both better get going, or else we'll be late."

"Yeah, we wouldn't want to ruin your 'perfect' track record," I respond sarcastically.

"Don't be an ass," Misato responds. "We may be living together, but I'm still your captain!"

"Really? Well you sure don't act like it."

We continue our little back and forth as we walk out of the cafeteria and towards the Eva cages. I miss being able to talk to someone like this. It's fun and. . .it reminds me of home.

* * *

This place is too damn bright! I know it's night out, so a few lights is to be expected. But I think they over did it just a little bit. Shit, it's like I'm staring at the damn sun! I'm honestly surprised the Angel hasn't spot us with how bright the mountain is.

Right now, I'm standing on a metal platform at the temporary base located on Mt. Futago. On this platform with me is Rei, Misato, Ritsuko, and a giant sniper rifle. I'm guessing that's the thing I'll be firing. I can't help but stare in awe at the sheer size of the weapon. It's kinda hard to believe that this was made by humans.

"Alright both of you, listen up!" commands Misato in a voice which demands respect. "Michael, you will be the sniper! Rei, you will be the shield!"

"The reason for this arrangement is because Michael's sync ratio in Unit-01 is higher than Rei's," Ritsuko explains.

"Yeah, by a small amount." I mutter under my breath.

Ritsuko must've heard me, because now her attention is directed to me. "This operation is going to require a high degree of precision. Even if your sync ratios differ only by a small amount, it will affect the Eva's aim significantly."

Ritsuko then looks at the giant gun. "Because of the Earth's rotation and magnetic field, the positron beam will not fire in a straight line. Due to these factors, you will need to compensate your aim in order for the beam to hit the core."

Even though I already know all this, I can't help but feel a bit nervous. I mean, someone else isn't firing this rifle, I am. I need to calm down. Even though a few things changed, this will end the same. There's nothing for me to worry about.

"So, I just need to fire when the indicators reach the center?" I ask, shaking off the sickness in my stomach.

"Correct," Ritsuko responds. "You will need to hit the Angel's core on your first shot. But, if you do happen to miss, you will need to wait for the rifle to cool then replace the fuses."

I nod. Fire, wait for the rifle to cool down, then replace the fuses. Not too hard.

"I'm just to protect Unit-01?" asks Rei.

"Correct," Ritsuko responds.

"Understood."

"It's time. Get geared up," commands Misato.

Rei and I let out sounds of acknowledgement and head to the locker rooms to change into our plugsuits.

Inside the locker room, Rei and I don't say a word. We just focus on getting dressed. When I get the suit on, I press a button on my wrist so it will fit me. Hissing can be heard as the air rushes out of the plugsuit, forcing it to tightly hug my body. I swear, whoever created this one made it tighter than the last one. I can barely move in this thing. I start stretching, trying to break this thing in. Rei has little problem moving in her plugsuit. Fully prepared, she leaves the locker room. When I manage to get comfortable, I decide sit on a bench. For a good minute, I just focus on my breathing, mentally preparing myself for what's yet to come. After I've finished breathing, I put on my cross, mutter a little prayer, then leave the room.

Just stay calm and everything will be fine.

On my way to Unit-01, I spot Misato in the hallway. She waves at me and I approach her.

"Why are you here? Shouldn't be in the Command Center?"

"Yeah, I was headed there but then something came up," she explains. She then reaches into her pocket and pulls out the cellphone she gave me. "Someone wants to speak to you."

I stare at the object, utterly confused. "Who is it?"

Misato grins. "Answer and find out."

I give her a weird look, but eventually relent. I grab the phone and take the person on the other end off hold. "Hello?"

"Finally! I didn't think you'd ever answer!"

What the-

"Toji?!" I respond, astonished.

"Hey, don't forget about me!" I hear another person, obviously Kensuke, say at the other end.

"How did you guys get this number?" I ask, still in shock.

"Your caretaker, Misato, gave it to us." Kensuke responds happily over the phone.

I glare daggers at Misato. What the hell?! You can't just do that!

Her response to my glare is a smug grin. I facepalm and I let out a groan.

"You alright over there?" Toji asks.

"Yeah, just nursing a slight headache," I tell him. "Just give me a second, I'm going to move to somewhere more private." I made sure to stretch the word "private", just so Misato could hear it. She puts on a mock hurt expression as I move to another part of the hallway we were in.

"So, why are you guys calling?" I ask.

Toji's the first to answer. "Well, we just wanted to make sure you were feelin' alright."

"Yeah, especially after seeing you get beaten by that monster yesterday," Kensuke chimes in.

"Umm, thanks. I'm doing fine and-" wait. "How do you know about that?"

"Umm. . ." starts Kensuke.

"We might've snuck out of the shelters to see your battle." Toji says sheepishly.

I nearly had an aneurysm. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING? ! ? ! ?"

"Hey! Don't get mad at me! It was Kensuke's idea!" Toji defends.

"Well you didn't have to come along!" responds Kensuke.

"You both are idiots," I mutter under my breath.

"Anyway," starts Kensuke, "We both heard about your mission."

"How did you-"

"My father works at Nerv," he explains. "I hacked into his computer to find out about today's mission."

"Oh."

"So, we also want to wish you good luck out there."

"Yeah!" Toji chimes in. "Go out there and kick some Angel butt!"

What's with these guys? They risked their lives just to see a stupid battle, and now they're wishing me good luck on my mission. Why do they care so much? If anything, they should be wary of me. I mean, it's nice to know there are people who care but. . .I don't know.

 **. . .**

Couldn't hurt to ask.

"Thank you for your support, but I gotta ask. . .why are you both even talking to me?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" asks Toji.

"It's just. . .I did terrible things to you two, and yes, I know you both said there were no hard feelings. Still, you should harbor some sort of hatred for me. I mean, what I did was unforgivable and-"

"You really need to stop over thinking things," says Toji, much to my surprise.

"Yeah, I mean, who wouldn't want to talk to you?" asks Kensuke. "You don't meet a lot of Eva pilots!"

"So. . .you guys called me because I'm a pilot?" I ask.

"No, I don't care if you're a pilot or not. Maybe Kensuke does-"

"Hey!"

"But," Toji starts, "You being a pilot has nothing to do with me calling you. I just think you're a pretty cool guy. Not a lot of people will admit they did something wrong or apologize. But you did both! It takes a real man to do something like that!"

"You. . .you really think that?" I ask.

"Ofcourse!" he says without hesitation.

"If Toji thinks you're cool, then you're okay in my book." Kensuke says, full of enthusiasm.

I'm at a loss of what to say right now. I. . .I don't know how to deal with something like this. I clear my throat. "Thanks for that. I'll be sure to not let you guys down."

"I'm sure you won't," Toji responds.

"Remember, you aren't alone," Kensuke reminds me. "All of Japan is rooting for you!"

"Heh, I'll keep that in mind. Later." I hang up the phone and take a moment to process what just happened. I shake my head in disbelief and laugh a bit. Eventually, I walk back to Misato and hand her the cellphone.

"So, how was it?" she asks.

"Awkward, no thanks to you!" I respond.

"Hey, I was just trying to get you a few friends." she responds calmly.

"Whatever," I roll my eyes and begin to walk to my destination. "We're gonna have a long talk after this mission."

"Michael wait."

I pause at the sudden change in tone. Turning to Misato, she gives me a serious look.

"Just. . .don't do anything reckless."

I didn't say anything for a few seconds. Then I let out a chuckle. "What part of this plan isn't reckless?"

"I'm serious Michael."

"Don't worry," I tell her, adopting a serious look of my own. "I'll be fine. Your plan is gonna work."

Her expression softens. I smile at her then start walking down the hallway. I pause for a moment, did an about face and raised my right hand in salute. "Looking forward to being under your command, Captain Katsuragi!"

Didn't have time to register her reaction, because now I'm running in the direction of my Eva.

God, that was corny.

* * *

The cool night air tickles my skin as I sit next to Unit-01. The distant city lights act as a torch, allowing me to get a good look at my enemy. Better get use to seeing in the dark, because when the mission starts, there will be no light source. On my right stands Unit-00, equipped with a shield whose height rivals that of its carrier. The robot's orange armor shines in the night as it reflects all the light directed on it. In front of my view of Unit-00 is Rei. She looks completely calm despite the dire circumstances. I look back at the city and close my eyes, mentally practicing my aim.

Okay, let's go over this one more time. When the city's power enters my rifle, I'm going to fire at the Angel. Most likely, I'm going to miss the first shot, just like in the show and movies. When I prepare for my second shot, the Angel will attack and Rei will shield me. When this happens, I will fire my second round and it will kill the Angel. The day is saved and I get to sleep peacefully. Perfect.

 **. . .**

But, what if I miss the second shot? Shinji's the one who's suppose to kill this Angel, not me. He's the one who can make this shot. What if I changed things by simply being here? What if I can't do this? What if-

No! Stop that! If I go down that rabbithole I'm never gonna get out. I need to believe that everything will happen exactly how I remembered. The alternative would be. . .well. . .let's not think about that. Shit, my chest feels like a beating drum! Calm down, breathe! If my mind isn't clear when I enter Unit-01, then I really will mess up!

"You will not die."

My thoughts cease. Did Rei just speak to me?

"If you are worried about dying during this mission, don't be." She says. "I will protect you."

I look at her, wondering if she was trying to comfort me, or was simply stating a fact. Either way, it makes me feel better. I laugh a bit and start talking.

"Thanks, I needed that. I don't know why I was so worried," I look at Rei and smile. "You know, you're going to live through this as well. Neither of us are going to die, not tonight."

"It does not matter if I die here," Rei responds. "I can be replaced."

The smile I had fades away. Yeah, I almost forgot who I was talking to. Back home (my original home), I remember hearing that Rei was some kind of clone. Of who, I can't remember. But it must be pretty depressing, knowing that if you die, a look alike will take your place. Though, Rei doesn't seem disturbed by this. Her attitude towards her own existence bothers me. It shouldn't, because she seems completely fine with her purpose. But-

"I know about the Rei clones," I say, almost without thinking. Right now, I don't care if there are consequences to what I'm doing. I just. . .have to say something.

Rei's eyes widen. "H-how-"

"Doesn't matter," I tell her. "Look, I know it's because of them that you think you're replaceable. But you're wrong. There's only **one** Rei Ayanami. The you that exists right now can never be cloned. Sure, your mind and body can be copied. But the you I'm speaking to right now, the you that's here at this very moment, can never be replaced. Don't let **anyone** tell you otherwise! Not even yourself."

She stares at me for a long while. I'm almost scared that I broke her mind or something. Eventually her expression changes. It looks as if she just realized something.

"It's time," she says as she gets to her feet. She starts walking toward Unit-00 then stops. She turns her head slightly, offering a curious glance, then returns her attention back to the Eva.

Seeing as that was done, I begin walking to Unit-01.

"Hope I did the right thing," I mutter to myself.

The LCL stings my nose, as usual. Don't think I'll ever get use to that. I move the Eva's arms to test them. Seems like they're working just fine. I command my Eva to grab the rifle and get into a sniper position. When it's on its belly, Misato checks in over the radio.

"Is everything working?"

"Yeah, the Eva is fully functional."

"Okay, Michael. I'm trusting you with the entire power of Japan. Use it wisely."

"Will do Captain."

"Alright," I hear Misato take a deep breath. "Operation Yashima beginning, now!"

"All power transferring to positron rifle!" I overhear a male employee say out loud.

A helmet extends from the back of my seat and fits itself onto my head. The screen inside activates, and I can see the indicators moving to the center. A countdown can be heard as I ready myself to fire.

Pull the trigger when the indicators go to the center of the screen. Just focus on that.

Just then, I see the Angel preparing itself to attack. Ignore it! Focus on the indicators!

"Now!"

At the moment Misato said that, I'm locked on. I pull the trigger and the sudden surge of power nearly knocks me off my seat. The beam of pure energy travels to the Angel, ready to hit it's mark. The Angel shoots a beam of it's own. When the beams cross each other, all I see is a bright light, followed by an explosion.

"Ahh! ! ! Shit! ! !" The impact of the enemy's attack shakes me around the entry plug and nearly knocks my Eva off the mountain! When the dust settles, I see the Angel is still alive.

I missed the first shot, doesn't matter. I predicted this might happen. The second shot will kill it.

"Michael! Reload!" commands Misato.

"Right!" I eject the empty fuse and load in a new one. The rifle starts charging as I once again look at the indicators.

The Angel, knowing where I am, charges its beam of energy and fires.

"No! Not now!" yells Misato.

Just as the beam's about to hit its mark, Rei jumps in the way and uses her shield to defend me. She has about seventeen seconds left until her shield disintegrates. That should give the indicators enough time to lock onto the target.

I overhear Misato yelling at Nerv employees, asking how long it will take for the rifle to lock on. They tell her it should lock on within a few seconds. Rei has fifteen seconds left.

"Come on!" I mutter at the rifle, as if it could speak back. "Hurry up!"

Ten seconds left.

Now I'm starting to get worried, and from sound of Misato's voice, so is she. But I attempt to remain calm. I stare at the indicators, and they're getting closer to the center. Still, they're taking their damn time! At this rate, Rei will-

Five seconds left.

No! It shouldn't take this long! I should've locked to my target a few seconds ago. Something's wrong! Something's horribly wrong!

Rei's shield completely disintegrates, leaving her Eva to take the full brunt of the attack.

"AHHH-mmph! ! !" I hear Rei over the radio, suppressing her urge to scream. Yet she doesn't move her Eva. She takes the attack head on, determined to complete her duty.

At that moment, everything freezes. The indicators are near the center, Unit-00 can buy me a few seconds so that I can lock onto the target. But. . .Rei can't keep this up! If this continues to go on, she will. . .she will. . .

" _I can be replaced_ ," her words echo across the depths of my mind. For some reason, that pisses me off.

"No." My grip on the control handle tightens. I can't let this happen. I won't! "FUCK THAT! ! !"

Immediately, I move my Eva to Unit-00, stretching the power cord the rifle is attached to.

I can tell everyone in the Command Center is freaking out. I overhear voices saying "What the hell is he doing" or "He's gonna get us all killed".

"Michael! You can't save her! Complete the mission! ! !" Misato screams at me.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that!" Images of Shinji's boiled corpse resurfaces from the depths of my mind. I can't let someone else die like that! Not again! Not if I can stop it! ! !

Misato is about to speak again but is cut off by Ritsuko. "Michael you're being selfish! ! ! You're going to get you and the rest of humanity killed! Return to your position and complete the damn mission! ! !"

"SCREW THE MISSION! ! !" I scream at the top of my lungs. "All my life, I would just hid, runaway, or do nothing whenever I was afraid. I'm tired of doing that! I'm tired of sitting on the sidelines while others get hurt because of me! I'm tired of being so pathetic! ! !" I command my Eva to lift its left arm and it makes contact with Unit-00's back. The conductive heat stings my hand, but I endure it!

"If all I do is runaway, then what's the point in piloting this thing?! I can't let her. . .no. I won't let her die alone! Somebody already had to suffer all that, and I won't let it happen again! ! !"

I activate my A.T. Field and raise it to its max power. Then, I felt something strange. No. . .I saw something strange. It was only for a second, but it's like a rainbow of colors was surrounding both my Eva and Unit-00.

"What the. . .that's. . . how-" I hear Ritsuko ask over the radio.

"If I can't save one person, then all this pain would've been for nothing! ! !" I felt as if I've merged with Rei. All the pain she felt, all the fear, they're apart of me now. It burns. It's nearly unbearable. How can someone so strong be so fragile? Our A.T. Fields combine to create a barrier. The Angel continues it's assault, though something feels odd. I might be imagining things, but it's like the A.T. Field is absorbing the attack instead of resisting it.

Despite our combined defense, both of our Eva's armor is melting. It hurts like hell, but I work through the pain. I rest my rifle on top of Unit-00's right shoulder and take aim. Few seconds later, the indicators lock onto the Angel. I pull the trigger and a powerful beam of energy exits the barrel. The beam pierces through the Angel's attack and goes through the Angel itself. The creature let's out one final screech before crashing to the ground below.

Silence. All the chatter over the radio died just then. Eventually, the silence is replaced with cheers! I let out the breath I was holding and start laughing like a maniac. Man, what the hell was I thinking?! This makes it my third time almost dying! I must have a fucking death wish! I laugh even louder and only stop to catch my breath.

Unit-00 collapses. My attention immediately goes to the robot. I extract my Progressive knife and use it to cut open Unit-00's back. When I finally find the entry plug, I pull it out of the Eva. The capsule immediately sprays LCL everywhere, ridding itself of the liquid. I lay the capsule on the ground and force eject myself out of Unit-01. When I'm out of the Eva, I force the LCL out of my lungs and start the climb down. As soon as I touched the ground I immediately run to Rei's entry plug. I grab the capsule's hatch and it's hot to the touch. Ignoring the pain, I keep my grip on the hatch and begin turning. I continue this action until the capsule opens. I instantly crawl into the entry plug, prepared to speak to Rei.

"Rei! Are you alright?"

She isn't moving. Parts of her skin has blisters and other parts are red.

"Rei? Rei can you hear me?"

I expected her to start moving. I expected her to open her eyes and look at me in confusion, questioning why I saved her. But that's not what happened. She remains still.

Panicking, I crawl deeper into the entry plug and try to shake her awake. She. . .she isn't breathing. I check her pulse. . .she doesn't have one.

No.

"No. No! No! ! ! NO! ! !" This wasn't suppose to happen! She's. . .she's. . .No! I can't let this happen!

I drag her out of the capsule and lie her on the ground.

Alright, let's see if I can do this correctly. I only saw this done on the internet, but I have to try! I owe her that much.

I put one of my hands on top of the other and intertwine the fingers. I then press my hands against her chest and start doing compressions. Let's see, I think I need to do thirty of these before going onto the next step. When I get to thirty, I open Rei's mouth and prepare to breathe into it. I'm hesitant to do that, but eventually I get over myself, press my mouth against her's and exhale. I check her pulse, nothing. I do the compressions and again I breathe into her.

Come one! Wake up! Please! You can't die like this!

I repeat the process again, and again nothing.

I'm panicking. I don't know what do! She's not waking up! But, I can't give up! I have to keep going!

I do the chest compressions and breathe into her again. Fucking nothing! I start the compressions again.

God! If you can hear me, please save her! She risked her life to save me! Fucking me! Someone who doesn't deserve to be saved! Someone who doesn't deserve Misato's kindness nor Toji and Kensuke's forgiveness! All I do is screw things up over and over again. I can never do anything right! I don't want anyone to die because of me, I'm not worth the effort. So please, save her! I beg you!

I once again breathe into her and. . .nothing. I. . .failed. Desperate, I skip the compression step and just keep breathing into her, hoping something will happen! I do this one last time, and. . .something changes. I feel a rush of liquid force its way into my mouth. I pull back, partially in surprise and partially in disgust. I spit out the liquid and see it's LCL. Rei continues to cough. I put her in a sitting position pat her back, forcing the liquid out of her lungs. When she's done coughing, she opens her eyes. Shock is painted all over her face.

"I. . .I'm alive?"

I nod.

She pauses for a moment, then looks to me.

"You risked your own life to save mine. Why?"

"I. . .I just felt like it." I tell her.

"But I'm replaceable. It doesn't matter if I-"

"Quit the 'I'm replaceable' crap!" I cut her off. "Like I already told you, people can copy your mind and body, but the you that exists right now can **never** be replaced! That's the you that's worth fighting for, so stop it!"

Rei just stares at me. A multitude of emotions that I can't identify spreads across her face. Hell, I don't know if she's fully aware of how she's feeling. Though the one emotion I can make out, is confusion.

"I. . ." she looks away from me. "I don't know what to do in this situation."

I chuckle a bit at her obliviousness. I know what to say.

"You could smile. That tends to make things better."

She stares at me, like I said something she couldn't fully comprehend. Eventually, a small smile appears on her face.

Seeing that action makes me grin. Her smile's kinda nice.

Just then, I realized how tired I am and collapse to the ground, hard.

"Ow."

* * *

Author's Notes: I know I said I would make the next chapter in a few weeks, but I finished this much quicker than expected. I didn't know I would enjoy writing **this** much! Still, I expected this chapter to reach only 3000 words. Obviously I was wrong. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to leave a review.

P.S. : I made a mistake in my last chapter hint. I put **Boxer King** instead of **King Boxer**. It's a small mistake, but I might've tripped a few people up. Anyway, I went back and fixed it.

P.S. #2: Just in case I confused you guys on Michael's time schedule, it goes something like this. He woke up at around 6 p.m to 7 p.m. ( a few hours after his 1st battle with Ramiel). He speaks to Misato the next day at around 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. Mission briefing began around 8 p.m. I just decided to add this because I felt like I did a poor job delivering that info.

Chapter 5 hint: The band's name is a the name of a color (couldn't think of a clever hint). The name of the song is the same name of this chapter.

Next chapter will arrive in a few weeks.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Take The Pain Away

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.**

The past few weeks. . .well. . . hasn't been the most fun. Right after my last battle, Misato began scolding me. She ranted about how I shouldn't disobey a direct order and that I took unnecessary risks during the mission. I argued everything turned out alright regardless, but she was having none of that. I wasn't going to get off scot-free, so she forced me to do extra chores every single day. When I say extra, I mean doing every chore available around the apartment, without Misato's help. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, etc. As you can imagine, it's a real pain in the ass!

This brings me to now. It's six in the morning and I'm making pancakes (learned how back home after getting bored) for both Misato and I. Misato's seated at the dinner table drinking a can of beer and playing with Pen Pen. She gives me a playful smirk and I respond with a glare.

It's too damn early for me to make pancakes for two people and she knows it! The process it too time consuming and I'm too tired for this shit. Seriously, it's not as easy as throwing a bunch of eggs into a pan and waiting for the thing to cook. You have to make sure the pancake batter isn't lumpy and make sure the pancakes themselves don't burn. Also, depending on how much you're making, the whole process can twenty to thirty minutes. Back home, Shane would ask me to make them every day and I had to break it to him that it wasn't gonna happen. When he asked why, I explained that breaking my back creating a few pieces of flatbread everyday, isn't my idea of a good time.

"Are you done yet?" Misato asks playfully, as she takes another sip of beer.

"You know I'm not!" I respond, slightly irritated. "Just wait five more minutes!"

"Uh-oh. Someone's angry." She starts giggling. "I wonder why?"

I can feel a vein pulsating on my forehead. I turn around and yell "YOU FUCKING KNOW WHY! ! !"

Her smug look increases tenfold as she waves her index finger in a disapproving manner. "Tsk, Tsk - You know the rules Michael. Pay up."

I inwardly groan at my stupidity. I dig into my pocket and put some money in a glass jar situated on the dinner table. It's been dubbed, "The Swear Jar".

That's another part of my punishment. Every time I swear, I put money into the glass jar. The first time she brought this up as a punishment, I pointed out the one flaw, I had no money. She easily fixed that flaw by paying me for all the chores I did. At first, it didn't seem like a punishment. I mean, it would be like having a job. Then I quickly realized how much I swear. Whenever I got a substantial amount of money, most of it would be taken away due to my habit. It's the equivalent of being in a race and collapsing when you're near the finish line. So close, yet so far.

I'm finally finished making the damn pancakes. I gave Misato half the batch while I ate the other half. The next few minutes is silent due to us eating. I'm still pissed that I have to do this everyday. Still, the food tastes great. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but these are probably the best homemade pancakes on this entire planet!

"How's your time at school?" Misato asks in between bites.

"It's been fine."

"Really?" She raises an eyebrow as she adopts a smirk. "What about your grades?"

I take a moment to think about what I'm gonna say. Judging from the way she's speaking, she probably already knows. Well, no point in lying. "Isn't it obvious? I'm failing."

Misato shakes her head and chuckles. "You really need to fix that. It doesn't look good for Nerv if one of our pilots can't pass their classes."

I scoff. "Why the hell should I care? I'm too busy 'saving the world' to worry about school."

Misato continues to wear her smirk as she taps "The Swear Jar".

"Huh? What did I say?!"

"Hell," she simply states.

"That's not a swear word!" I yell at her.

"Don't argue. Just pay up."

I reluctantly put more money into the jar and grumble under my breath "You swear all the time."

"Ever heard of the saying 'Do as I say, not as I do'?" she says, apparently hearing me. "As for your 'saving the world' comment, that's no excuse to be falling behind in your classes."

"In case you didn't notice, I can't read kanji." I respond sardonically.

"Then ask for help," she says. "Get someone to tutor you."

I give her a blank stare. "Then why don't you tutor me?"

"You know I'm too busy to do that."

"Yeeaah, sure you are," I respond while rolling my eyes. "Well, it's not like you'd be any help anyway. You'd probably find a way to make my grades worse."

She glares at me. "Perhaps I should charge you every time you make a sarcastic comment."

I become rigid. "I'll behave."

She grins. "Good! Got anything else to share?"

"Hmm. . .I don't think so."

"Are you suuure you aren't forgetting something?"

I don't like this. The way she said that made it seem like I have something to hide. But what could she possibly think I-

She pulls out a sheet of paper from under the table. It looks like it was torn apart and crudely put back together with tape.

My eyes nearly pop out of my skull.

"How the fuuuuuuuuuuu. . . fun?" Please say that doesn't count! Also, I thought I got rid of that! ! !

"Nice save," Misato says while holding back her urge to laugh. "Cutting it a little close don't you think? According this invitation, Parent Visitation Day is tomorrow. Why didn't you tell me about it?

"Well. . .uh. . . I didn't you'd be interested!" I tell her, trying and failing to not seem nervous.

"Really?" she says, not fully believing me.

"Really! And why would you?! You'd have to sit in class and listen to boring lectures. Don't even get me started on my classmates! They're a bunch of immature brats! Constantly running and screaming. I think for the sake of your own sanity, you shouldn't go!"

"Aww Mikey, you don't need to worry about me," she says in a voice meant for small children. Wait. . .what did she call me?! "But as your caretaker, it's my responsibility to go to this special event."

I slam my head against the table and inwardly curse the situation I'm being put in. Slowly, I get up from my chair, grab my empty plate, and head for the kitchen sink.

Why? Just. . .why?

* * *

The math teacher wraps up his lesson right after the bell rings, signaling him to leave. The ten minute breaks between each class give students enough time to catch up with friends or finish some extra work. Weeks of attending this school showed me how well behaved these kids are. Even when the teacher leaves the room, they never act up. Back home, if a teacher so much as looked away from the class (even for a second), the room would break into pandemonium. Then again, the class rep here is always keeping an eye on everyone. It's her job to keep the class in order and she takes it seriously. She can be scary when she wants to be, especially if you piss her off. The fear of getting on her bad side is probably the main reason why everyone behaves.

I'm resting my head against my desk and am refusing to move it from that spot. It's been there for so long, it feels like it's glued to the desk.

"Don't see why you're so upset."

"Of course you don't," I respond to Toji, the desk muffling my voice. "You don't understand the situation I'm put in."

"What's so bad about having Misato visit the school?" asks Kensuke.

Immediately, my head raises from the desk and I glare at him. "Everything! All she's gonna do is embarrass the hell out of me!"

"What makes you say that?" He asks innocently while adopting a nervous smile. "Misato's the nicest person I've ever met."

"Plus she's really hot," Toji adds. "You're lucky to be livin' with someone like that."

Seriously?

"No! She's not nice, or hot, and I'm not lucky to be living with her!" I state. "She's lazy, a slob, and is constantly a pain in my ass! You know she's forcing me to do **all** the work around the apartment?!"

"I'm sure you're exaggerating," Kensuke says dismissively, much to my chagrin.

I nearly pull the hair out of my head before calming down. "Try living with her for **one** day and see if I'm exaggerating."

"Living with Misato would be a dream come true!" he says as he leans in on my desk. He then begins staring off into space wearing a goofy smile. Toji's doing the same thing. They're both red as a tomato.

"You guys are gross," I simply state.

"Don't give us that!" Toji says in his defense. "Come on, don't tell me you haven't had **one** dirty thought about Misato."

I'm about to respond until the class rep, Hikari, yells at us to keep it down and stop discussing perverse topics. That quickly got us to shut up, along with me becoming embarrassed. Moments later, we began talking again, albeit a bit quieter.

"Anyway, I need to ask you guys something." I tell both Kensuke and Toji.

"Hmm? Sure, what is it?" asks Toji.

"Can you guys teach me how to read kanji?"

"Huh? You can't read that stuff?"

"That's right. So will you guys help?"

"Sorry to tell ya this, but I'm not exactly the best guy to ask when it comes to teaching," he admits.

"Same for me," says Kensuke. "I wouldn't know where to start."

"Oh come on!" I yell at them, irritation laced into my words. "You both need to at least try!"

Toji shrugs his shoulders. "Sorry, I can't help you. Why don't you ask the class rep?"

Kensuke nods in agreement. "She's tutored a bunch of students in the past."

I look over to the brown haired girl. I could ask her but. . .

"No, she seems like she'll be too strict." I then lower my head, partially in disappointment. "And. . .she kinda scares me."

I expect them to laugh, but they only nod.

"Then ask someone else to tutor you," Kensuke suggests. "I mean, you're still pretty popular here. I'm sure no one would mind teaching you a few things."

I look around the classroom and let out a frustrated sigh.

I dislike having to talk to people. It took me awhile to be moderately good friends with Toji and Kensuke. It took me even longer to become comfortable enough to talk to them on a daily basis. So to ask me to speak to people I barely know, is a terrible idea (at least in my eyes). So many things could go wrong. I could say something weird or do something embarrassing. They'll judge me based on what I do, so it's best to avoid initiating conversation. It'll more convenient if they to come to me. That way, all I have to do is react, which is easier than being the initial speaker.

"Hey, why don't you guys as- What the hell?!" I'm about to suggest Toji and Kensuke do the talking for me, but Toji lifts me off my seat.

"Quit stallin'! Go already!" he pushes me forward, urging me to interact with my classmates. I send a glare his way, he responds with a grin. "Stop being so shy! Also, make sure your tutor's a cute girl!"

I let out a sigh and decide to start searching. Some students give me curious looks, no doubt they heard Toji's comments. I'm gonna make him pay when this is over. But. . .who can I talk to. All this time attending school and I still don't know anyone's name. I never thought I had to. Crap! This is gonna make talking even harder!

My attention is drawn to the back corner of the classroom. There sits Rei, staring out a window. My mind clears as the unease washes away. I think I found my tutor.

I make my way to her corner of the room. When I'm near her desk, she detects my presence and brings her attention to me.

"Hey," I greet her.

"Greetings Hart," she responds.

"Uh, you don't have to call me by my last name."

"It's the appropriate way to address someone, is it not?" she asks.

"I guess, but I prefer it if you called me by my first name. Calling me Hart just feels too. . ." I shake my head. "Nevermind. Anyway, I was wondering if you would be willing to tutor me?"

Rei tilts her head and gives me a curious look. "Tutor?"

"Yeah," I say as I scratch the back of my head. "You see, I'm having trouble reading kanji and it's affecting my grades. That's why I need a tutor."

"And you believe I am the appropriate choice?" she questions.

"I don't see why not," I tell her. "You're always reading and you don't seem to be failing your classes. So I can assume you're pretty smart."

While I'm explaining this to Rei, I hear whispering across the classroom. Using my peripheral vision, I see practically all the students staring at me and Rei. The guys are more subtle, only offering curious glances. The girls on the other hand, are pretty much gawking at us. Some are even giggling.

Right, this is probably the first time they've seen Rei interact with another human. Great, they're probably gonna make a big deal out of this. I can hear the rumors already.

"So, how about it? Will you tutor me?"

She takes a moment to think. For a second, I think she might say no. That doesn't happen. Instead, she nods.

"Great! So. . .your place at 5:30 p.m.?"

"That is acceptable," she responds.

I nod and start walking back to my desk. When I get there, Toji and Kensuke won't leave me alone. They ask how I got Rei to talk and how I got her to agree to tutor me. Kensuke kept saying how jealous he was while Toji was congratulating me on getting a cute girl. I just shake my head and try to ignore their antics.

* * *

When school ends, I go back to Misato's place briefly. When there, I grab some snacks, extra notebooks then leave. It's only 3:30, but I like arrive anywhere ahead of schedule. That and it takes about an hour for me to walk to a train station that goes on the route I need to be on. It also takes thirty to forty minutes for the train to arrive in Rei's neighborhood, so leaving early is the best option for me. Why did I suggest to meet at 5:30?

I arrive at Rei's apartment a few minutes early. I knock on her front door and a few minutes later, she opens the entrance. We greet each other and she lets me inside her home.

I've never actually been inside Rei's apartment, but I knew what to expect. Still, seeing this place in person makes me kinda. . .sad. A small kitchen counter and stove is located next to the front door, as well as a small refrigerator. The sink next to the kitchen counter looks recently cleaned, that or it's never been used. At the far end of the room is a bed located under a large window, the only source of natural light. Cardboard boxes and bloodied bandages are all over the floor. The place is kinda chilly and the walls look like they're made of metal. The place smells like a bunch of chemicals were dumped here. Knowing Nerv, that probably isn't far off from the truth.

This place looks more like a prison than a room.

"So. . .where will we be sitting?" I ask.

Instead of responding, she grabs two stools and place them near her bed. I guess the bed will act as a desk. I take a seat in one of the stools and Rei sits in another. She then pulls out several books from under the bed and place them on top of the mattress.

"Shall we begin?" she asks.

I nod, and the lesson starts.

The first thing we needed to get out of the way was my homework. The math was pretty easy to figure out, the only issue came from solving word problems. Rei helped me translate what the problems were asking me and I did the rest. As for the rest of the homework, that was hell. While we working on my worksheets, she took the opportunity to teach me about the Japanese language. Turns out kanji has over two-thousand letters! Fucking **two-thousand**! That's just the kanji alphabet! Apparently, Japan has three alphabets, each used in everyday writing. How am I supposed to remember all that?! Why did Japan have to make writing so damn complicated!

Thirty minutes pass and I'm not done with half the work. It's extremely frustrating! Now I remember why gave up on anything writing related.

"Rei, I think I need a break."

"But we're in the middle of a problem," she points out.

"I know it's just. . .*sigh* I really need a break or else I'll go insane."

She sees how tired I am and agrees to let me rest. I grab the paper I was working on and look at my progress. It's a history worksheet, half are multiple choice and the rest is a written response. I know I already know the answers, I pay attention to history, it's just I can't understand the questions. The words just look like a bunch of lines and weird shapes. How does the teacher expect me to do the homework? He must realize by now that I can't read the damn language!

I let out a sigh and decide to have a little snack. I pull out one of the snacks I brought over (a granola bar) and start eating. I take care to not get any crumbs on Rei's bed or floor, that would be rude. Another sigh escapes me as I think about the candy I would eat at home. Japan doesn't have a lot of sweets (at least not the kind I'm use to), so I had to eat a bit healthier. If I want something to snack on, I'll eat a granola bar or some veggies. If wasn't for the occasional junk food - chips and sodas for example - I might've gone crazy!

A growling sound, a pretty loud one, bounces off the room's walls. I look over to Rei and she takes notice of my gaze. Her cheeks turn pink as her stomach lets out another growl.

I look at her then back to my food. I grab another granola bar I had and hand it to her. She looks at me with a confused expression.

"It's obvious you're hungry, so just take it."

She hesitates for a moment, then takes the bar and begins eating.

"Thank you," she says, though it's odd. The way she said it, made it seem like those words are foreign to her.

I take a look at the fridge near the entrance of the room. "Don't you have **any** food here?"

She nods. I get up and ask if she minds if I check the fridge. She gives me permission and I look inside. There's barely anything in there. Just some bread, water and vegetables.

"This is all you got?!" I ask her.

"It's sufficient," she simply responds.

I return to my seat and stare at her. "Sufficient? There's no way you can survive on that amount of food!"

When she's done eating the granola I gave her, she once again speaks up. "Commander Ikari invites me to dine with him at least once a week. That is where I get the majority of my sustenance."

I scoff at that. "That bastard invites her to dinner, but can't be bothered to actually keep her fridge full so she can feed herself." I muttered, scornfully, under my breath.

"Hmm?"

"Oh! Nothing!" I respond quickly. Good thing she didn't hear me. She'd probably slap me for badmouthing Gendo.

I look around the room once again and frown. How can Gendo keep Rei in a place like this? I thought he had some kind of sympathy for her. Guess I was wrong. Then again, what did I expect from the person who abandoned his son when he needed him most.

"Hey," I start. "How about tomorrow, after school. . .I get you something to eat. That alright with you?"

She looks shocked. "Why would you want to do that?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Because I feel like it. Besides, it'll be easier for you to teach when you aren't starving. So, how about it?"

She pauses. Perhaps not fully comprehending my gesture. Eventually, she gives me an answer. "I. . .accept your offer Hart."

"Kay. Remember, meet me after school."

She nods.

We go back to working on my homework. When we're done, I leave the apartment and return home at around 8:00 p.m. Misato starts scolding me about my absence. Turns out, I forgot to tell her where I was and she almost sent out a search party. Whoops. Eventually, I cleared a few things up and went to bed.

Tomorrow's gonna be an. . .interesting day.

* * *

"I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE DID THAT! ! !" I exclaim in frustration.

"It wasn't that bad," Kensuke assures me.

"No. It was pretty bad," Tojo snickers.

"She just kept getting the teachers to call on me and kept flirting with all the dads in the room!" I continue ranting. "Now you guys see why I didn't want her here?!"

"Hey, it wasn't all bad," Toji tells me. "But your reactions were pretty funny. The look on your face every time Misato spoke! *Snicker* It looked like you were gonna explode!"

Toji bursts out laughing and Kensuke soon joins him.

"Glad my misery brings you both joy." I reply sardonically.

Our group continues walking down the halls to the school's exit. Misato left early (thank god), so I can talk to Rei without her peeking over my shoulder. When we get outside, Toji and Kensuke turn to me.

"Toji's dad is gonna take us downtown to the arcade," Kensuke explains. "You wanna come along?"

I shake my head. "No thanks. I got tutoring with Rei."

"Bummer," says Toji.

A thoughtful expression appears on Kensuke's face. "But, I thought you said Rei agreed to tutor you at around five. It's still three."

When Toji hears this, a smirk appears on his face. He then puts his arm around my shoulder. "You sly dog."

What?!

"The hell?!" I give him a weird look.

Kensuke seems to pick up on what Toji's implying and dons a smirk of his own. "You could've told us you wanted be alone with Rei. We'll just get out of your way."

I swear a blood vessel popped! "It's nothing like that!"

"Sure it isn't," they both say simultaneously.

"Screw both of you!" I respond, frustrated.

When I'm done ranting at the two, I notice Rei just walked out of the school.

"Guys I gotta go," I explain while walking towards Rei. "See y'all tomorrow!"

"Tell us how your date goes!" yells Toji, which gets me to groan.

"Hey," I greet Rei, "Ready to go?"

She nods before pausing. "Does Suzuhara think we are in a relationship?"

I facepalmed hard. "Just. . .ignore him."

We walk to the nearest bus station and take a trip to a supermarket. During the ride, I'm making a mental list of what we'll need to buy there. My allowance won't be enough to buy the things Rei needs. That's why I. . .borrowed some grocery money from Misato. It's not like I'll need to go grocery shopping for a while, Misato's fridge is always full. Though, she probably will be pissed I took some money without permission. Well, guess that'll serve as payback for her behavior at school.

We arrive at the supermarket Misato usually sends me to. I don't really know the name of the place, but I guess you could describe it as a Japanese Walmart. Rei and I grab ourselves a shopping cart and got to shopping.

"Let's see," I say, mostly to myself. "You're gonna need some frozen food as well as food you can eat right away. Do you know how to cook? Because if you don't, buying things like raw chicken might prove useless."

"I do not eat meat," she responds.

"Oh, right." Forgot about that. "Guess that's a good thing, it'll narrow down our options. How about we get you some rice."

When I shop, I like to do things as quickly as possible. I never see why it takes some people an hour or more to decide on something simple. Without delay, I found some food Rei would find suitable. Things like a bag of rice, instant ramen (vegetarian), fruits, vegetables, etc. I even bought some things for myself. Mainly shampoo and hair grease. It's difficult to find the brand I like here, with me being illiterate and all. It makes me question if having having all this hair is worth the trouble. But I decided awhile ago that I'm not gonna cut my hair. It took a long time to get it looking the way it is now.

The cart isn't full, meaning when we leave, we'll be able to carry all this stuff back to Rei's apartment. Good. Seeing as all the items in my mental checklist was crossed off, I prepare to go to the cashier. But, I stop myself. It feels like I'm forgetting something. Then it hits me.

"Rei, do you have anything to wear other than your school uniform?"

She shakes her head.

I let out a sigh. Of course she doesn't. "Well, let's get you something to wear."

"That will not be necessary," she assures me. "The school uniform is sufficient."

I shake my head. Even though I don't care much for clothes, I know that it can't be comfortable wearing that uniform everyday.

"Listen," I explain. "Clothes are more than just something to cover yourself up."

She cocks her head to the side and I continue. "Come on, it must be boring wearing that bland uniform everyday. Trust me, you'll feel better wearing something new."

She doesn't seem to understand, but takes my word for it. We go to the clothing section of the store and start searching.

"So, what size clothes do you we-" I stop myself. That's gonna get awkward real quick. "You know what. We'll just eyeball it." I then point to a bunch of clothing. "Go pick one."

She looks at me in confusion.

That gets a chuckle out of me. "Go on. Pick the one you like."

She looks at me, then to her hands. The way she carries herself reminds me of a lost child. "I've. . .never done this-"

"Don't worry," I tell her. "Like I said, just pick the one you like."

She stands still for a few seconds, then walks off to find something to wear.

"Make sure it isn't too expensive!" I call out to her. I may be encouraging Rei, but I'm not made of money.

It takes about fifteen minutes for Rei to find something. It's a white one piece dress and a large white summer hat. I wanted to leave right then because I felt we spent too much time here. But she needs to try on the dress and hat to make sure they fit (and that they are a good look for her). I guide her to a dressing room and let her try on the clothes.

A few more minutes pass by and I go check up on her. "You dressed yet?"

"Yes," she responds.

"Then come out. I wanna see it!" I try to sound enthusiastic, but really, I'm bored out of my mind. Standing around all day isn't my idea of a good time. I just had to insist she gets new clothes!

She walks out of the dressing room. The white dress was a good choice for her. The color compliments her pale skin quite nicely. As a matter of fact, it kinda gives her an angelic glow. I don't know what compelled her to get the summer hat, but it's a nice touch. It complements the dress and gives her an air of royalty. Overall, it a simple look, but perfect nonetheless.

"Wow! You look nice."

Rei's cheeks turn an interesting shade of pink as she looks to the ground. Think I might've embarrassed her.

"Alright, get ready to get going," I tell her. "We spent enough time here."

She nods and goes back into the dressing room to put on her regular clothes.

Eventually, we leave the store and start heading to Rei's apartment. On the way there, I suggest we stop by an arcade, just to have a little fun. She was hesitant, but agreed to go there. It's been so long since I last played a video game, so you can imagine how happy I was at that arcade. I even got Rei to play a few games there. She did better than I expected, you know, after she figured out the controls. As expected, she was a natural at any game that involved piloting a vehicle.

I eventually ran into Toji and Kensuke, much to my chagrin. They tried multiple times to get a rise out of me, saying things like "How was your date with Rei" or "Did you kiss her yet". It was all in good fun, but man was that annoying! In the end, we all started playing games as a group. It was the most fun I had in Tokyo-3.

After all that , Rei and I got back to her apartment. While walking up the stairs, Rei stops.

"Huh? Something wrong?" I ask.

"No," she tells me. But the tone of her voice says otherwise. "Hart. . .why are you so pleasant to me?"

"What do you mean?"

"You only needed me to tutor you. Yet, you concern yourself with my well-being. And the last time we fought together, you risked your life to save mine. Why?"

I smile at her then decide to borrow something a friend said to me. "You really need to stop overthinking things."

She goes silent. Utterly puzzled at what I said.

"But, if you really need an answer. . .I guess I'll give you one." I tell her. "Heh, it's stupid really. . .I guess I. . .feel like I understand you." My insides feel like they're being stabbed.

"I guess. . . I don't know. I feel like I know what it's like to feel worthless. Like you don't matter." I hate talking about this. It makes me feel so. . .so. . .

" *Sigh* You know what, forget it. It's silly to compare my life to the things you had to endure. Just. . . forget I said anything."

I continue to walk towards Rei's front door. She gives me an odd look, but eventually follows suit.

Yeah. It really is silly.

* * *

It's morning. As usual, I'm slaving over the stove making breakfast. But, Misato isn't at the table. Odd, she usually wakes up at the same time I do. Whatever, when she does come from her room, no doubt she's gonna demand breakfast.

Misato's door slides open. I'm about to alert her that breakfast's ready, but my words are caught in my throat at the sight of her. She's not wearing the clothes she usually wears when just waking up, nor is she wearing the get up she sports around Nerv. She's wearing a uniform that wouldn't look out of place in a military banquet.

"What's the occasion?" I ask.

"There's a meeting I need to go to at old Tokyo," she explains as she walks to the front door and puts on her shoes. "I probably will be home late. If you're feeling hungry, don't be afraid to order something."

"Aren't you gonna eat anything?" I ask, partially annoyed she didn't tell me this information the day before.

She adopts an apologetic look. "I'm sorry Michael. You probably worked hard making breakfast. But I need to leave as soon as possible. I'll be sure to make it up to you." She opens the door then pauses. "See you later."

The door closes.

I sigh and look at the amount of food I just made. A large smile creeps its way onto my face.

"Well," I tell myself. "More for me!"

The rest of the day flew by so quick. Classes were a blur and the only memorable things that happened today was my conversations with my friends. They kept asking what it was like to have Rei as a tutor. I told them it was constant work, but wasn't strict. She was also extremely patient with me, even when I got pissed at all the work I had to do. Of course they had a little fun messing with me. It was just too easy for them. All they had to do was hint that me and Rei were doing. . . "extracurricular activities" and I would freak out. It didn't help that all the girls in the class were congratulating me for getting Rei to open up. They acted like Rei and I were a couple. I would simply roll my eyes at their remarks.

When school ends, Rei and I start walking together away from campus. We both decided that tutoring should begin as soon as school ended. That way, I didn't have to keep walking back and forth from my apartment to Rei's. Currently, we're making our way to the train station. That's when a question popped into my head.

"Rei, do you know why Misato went to old Tokyo?"

"Captain Katsuragi and Dr. Akagi were invited to a private company's demonstration of a new weapon to combat the Angels."

That's interesting. "Sounds cool. What kind of weapon is this company presenting?"

"A robot that can face an Angel in close quarters combat," she explains.

"What? You mean something like an Eva?" I ask, shocked.

"Nothing like an Eva," she explains. "Based on the information available, it will not require a pilot and has a longer battery life. It does not posses an A.T. Field, but it will be easier to mass produce. It is designed to replace Eva."

Really? How do I not know about this? Then again, my knowledge of Neon Genesis is pretty limited. So I guess it makes sense there are some things I won't know.

"But it will fail," she says.

I look at her questioningly. "How do you know that?"

She goes silent.

I was gonna repeat the question until I spot a black car in the distance. It eventually comes to a stop next to where Rei and I are walking. The window rolls down revealing a Nerv employee. The guy has combed back brown hair and thick lense glasses. I recognize him. He's Misato's chief aide if I remember correctly.

"Mr. Hart. You will need to come with me immediately." He says in an authoritative voice. Something I'm no use to hearing from him.

"Why? What happened?" I ask.

"I'll explain on the way to HQ. But we need to go now!" he says in a hurried tone.

I nod and bid farewell to Rei as I entered the vehicle.

On the way to Nerv, the driver who's name I learned is Hyuga, told me that the robot being demonstrated in old Tokyo has gone on a rampage. Apparently an Eva is the only thing that can stop the damn thing, so I'm going to be sent out there. Never thought I'd see the day an Eva would be used to fight something other than an Angel.

An hour later, I'm fully dressed in my plugsuit, sitting inside a large jet carrying Unit-01. Across from where I'm sitting is Misato. She's wearing a skin-tight suit with a large helmet resting on her lap. She wears a slightly worried expression as she explains her plan to me.

"So let me get this straight. You want me to stop the giant robot long enough for you climb inside and deactivated it?"

"That about sums it up," she says casually, trying to hide the apprehension in her voice.

"Why can't I just destroy the thing?"

"Like I said, the Jet Alone is powered by a nuclear reactor. If you destroy it, it might cause an explosion. Your Eva will be safe, but the resulting fallout will spread to the nearest city."

"If that thing's nuclear, then it's crazy for you to go inside that thing," I exclaim. "The radiation poses too much of a risk!"

"That's what this suit is for," she says as to taps her helmet.

"It has its limits," I tell her.

"Don't worry Michael." She puts her hand on my shoulder. "Everything's gonna be fine. Just get me close to the robot."

I let out an exhale then shake my head. "You know you're crazy right?"

"Like you're the one to talk," she replied wittily.

We both laugh until the jet's pilot alerted that we were close the the Jet Alone. Immediately, I make my way to the bottom of the jet, and enter my entry plug. A machine inserts the capsule into my Eva, so now I'm fully connected. Misato climbs into my Eva's right hand, and I gently encompass the fingers around her.

Don't crush her! Don't crush her! Don't crush her!

"Not really something I want to hear at the moment," Misato tells me over the radio.

Huh. Apparently I said that out loud.

The belly of the jet opens up, revealing how high up I am. The locks keeping the Eva from falling come undone. Gravity takes hold, snatching me from the jet and pulling me to the ground. I expect to feel fear on my way down, and I did, but it wasn't the dominant emotion.

"HELL YEAH! ! ! !" For some reason, excitement emerges from this whole experience. I'm laughing like a maniac as I continue to fall.

When the ground approaches, I prepare myself for a landing. I'm initially worried the Eva won't survive the fall, but that feeling melts away as soon as I touch the ground. The impact was ruff, but I'm unharmed. I command my Eva to start running so it could catch up to the Jet Alone robot. When I got to it, I grab it's shoulder and keep it from moving.

"Crap! This thing's stronger than it looks!" I say while gritting my teeth.

"Remind me to have you drop some money in 'The Swear Jar'," Misato tells me over the radio.

"Oh come on! I should be allowed to say whatever I want on missions!"

"Kidding." I can hear the smile in her voice. "Okay, just drop me on its shoulder. I'll handle the rest."

Doing as she said, I carefully carry Misato to the Jet Alone's shoulder. I see her jump off the Eva's hand and open a hatch to get inside the nuclear powered robot. When she closes the hatch, I move my Eva in front of the robot to keep it from moving.

"Tell me what's happening," I command over the radio.

"Well, I'm walking through a dark hallway." Misato responds. "*Huff* This place feels like a sauna."

"That tends to happen when you're close to a nuclear reactor," I joke. The Jet Alone struggles to move forward, but I keep it in place. Shit, it's like trying to stop a freight train! Suddenly, part of the Jet Alone bursts and steam hit's my Eva's face. "Shit! ! !"

"Michael, what happened?!" Misato asks.

"I think the thing's about to burst," I tell her as I cover up the area the steam's coming from. "You need to hurry!"

"Already on it!" she replies.

A few more minutes pass when she reports she's in the control room. Great! All she has to do is deactivate the walking powerplant and-

"It's not working," Misato says in surprise.

"What's not working?!"

"The password to shut this thing down!" I hear a crash over the radio. "Dammit! ! !"

More steam exits the Jet Alone as I continue to halt its progress. "Get out of there! This thing's gonna blow!"

There's silence over the radio for a few seconds. The only thing I can hear is heavy breathing. I'm about to call out to her again but am interrupted. "*Huff* It's not over yet. I'm gonna *huff* attempt push the control rods back into the reactor."

"Don't be stupid, just get out of there!"

"Michael *huff* just in case I don't make it. I need you to *huff* spread your A.T. Field around the robot the moment it explodes. Try to contain the blast." She's having trouble breathing. And what does she means by "just in case I don't make it"?

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT CRAP! ! !" I yell over the radio. "GET OUT OF THERE! ! !"

There was only silence over the radio. Suddenly my hands begin to sting. The Jet Alone's starting to heat up! The thing's gonna explode any moment now!

I keep shouting over the radio for Misato to get out of there. But she won't fucking respond! Dammit! Why does she have to be so stubborn? She's gonna die! I need to do something! But what can I do? If I try to open up the Jet Alone, it'll explode, killing her anyway. I can't climb in after her because the radiation would kill me!

The robot's gets hotter as more steam exits its form.

Why the hell won't she respond?! There's no reason for her not to unless. . .no. She can't be! I don't know what I'd do if she-

The Jet Alone stops moving and begins to cool down.

She. . .she did it!

"Misato? Misato can you hear me?!"

"*Cough* Yeah I hear ya. Now can you please stop yelling?" she responds, laughing a bit.

The panic I had moments ago washes away, replaced with relief.

"You fucking idiot," I say while laughing. "After giving me all that crap about taking unnecessary risks, you go and do the same thing."

"Heh, well I'm not perfect," she replies.

"Just. . .don't do that again." I tell her.

"Aww, you do care Mikey."

"Shut up," I reply. "And don't call me Mikey."

* * *

A week passed since the old Tokyo incident. Misato eventually got rid of the swearing rule after some convincing. Also, to make up for what happened on the mission, she got me a portable game console! I remember freaking out so much when that happened. I never had a modern gaming device before! The closest to modern I had before I got here was a gameboy. The look on her face when she saw my enthusiasm was. . .warm. That's the best I can describe it. Rarely has that look ever been directed at me. It's. . .nice.

During this week, my studies with Rei became more frequent. We didn't just study after school anymore. Anytime there was a break in class, she would teach me how to write some new words or help me with reading. She says I'm progressing faster than expected, and I'm inclined to agree. It's odd. It's like I already knew how to read and write in Japanese but just forgotten how. . .if that makes sense.

Right now, it's 7:30 p.m. I'm at Rei's place doing homework and practicing writing. Rei made it a habit of giving me things to read then having me write a summary of the story I just read. Granted, they were children's books, but I gotta start somewhere. While writing one of these summaries, Rei begins to speak.

"Hart, is it okay if I ask you a question?"

Without looking up from the work I was doing, I respond. "Sure, what's the question?"

"What is your world like?"

I stop writing, and look up at her. Curiosity is painted all over her face.

"Why would you want to know that?" I ask.

"I'm. . .not sure," she responds.

I go quiet for a few seconds. "Well. My world is a lot like this one. The only real difference is the existence of Evas and the creatures you call Angels." I put my hand to my chin. "I also think this world's tech is slightly more advanced than my world's tech. Minus the Evangelions, that's extremely advanced technology. My world's nowhere near building something like that!"

Rei take a moment to absorb all the information I gave her. "Do you. . .miss that world?"

I take a moment to think. "I don't miss the world itself, just some of the people who live there. Almost everyone back home are idiots. They think they're better than one another and are willing to put others down to prove their superiority. The people who aren't like that, are the people I miss."

"Is your family among the people you miss?".

I grow silent.

Why is she so talkative lately? "Just my brother."

"What about your parents?"

"I don't know where my father is and my mother. . ." I linger at the last few words. "You know what, let's talk about something else."

"A week ago you told me you knew what it's like to feel worthless," she points out. "Is she the reason you feel this way?

"Just drop it! Okay?!" I snap at her. I know she probably didn't mean anything by it but. . . she shouldn't ask too many questions.

Her eyes widen a bit, before she looks down to her lap. "I apologize."

The room becomes quiet. Dammit! Now I feel like an ass! I shouldn't have snapped at her, she was just trying to understand me. Though, why is she interested in me all of a sudden?

I shift my weight on the stool I'm sitting on then look out the window.

"I'm a screw up. That's why I feel useless."

Rei quickly looks in my direction. Intrigue etched on her face.

"My younger brother, Shane, is one of the best things to happen to me. Heh, even though he can be an ass sometimes. He wants to be a doctor you know. He believes he can 'save the world' by curing all disease." I let out as sad chuckle.

"It's an incredulous dream, to cure all disease. But you know what, I believe he can do it. He's so fucking smart, yet at the same time, he's so kind. He's the kind of guy who'll help you out, even if you did him wrong."

My fists tighten and a lump is growing in my throat. "Which is why he deserves better. I've. . .never been much of a big brother. In fact, Shane acted more mature than I ever did. He always stood up for me whenever I would run or hide like a coward. I've been nothing but a burden to him. A screw up of a brother."

I can feel tears welling up as I turn away from Rei's gaze. I need to stop, now! I don't want to cry in front of someone! I don't want to feel this. . .vulnerable. But I can't seem to stop myself.

"I don't have a lot of things to be proud of. But Shane, he's the one thing I have the utmost pride for. It makes enduring all the shit I have to deal with back home worth it! That's why I need to go back! I want to see him shine when he reaches his dream. Even though I don't deserve to have someone like him! Even though I don't belong anywhere! Even though I only screw things up! I miss him. I miss my home! I-"

My vision is all blurry and my heart hurts. I'm completely turned away from Rei. I don't want her to see me like this! I don't want anyone to see me like this! I don't want anyone to see how pathetic I am! How weak I am! It hurts! It hurts too damn much!

I feel something soft touch my back. At the edge of my sight, I spot Rei donning a look I can't quite understand. Is it empathy? There's no way that's it. She isn't capable of doing that, is she?

I look deep into those crimson eyes of her's. There's no judgement, disgust or false pity. There's. . .understanding? Or, at least what I think is understanding. The level of comfort I feel around her is strange. I feel weird around her, it's silly but. . .she reminds me of a mother.

My last defenses break down as I begin sobbing. I lean into her, and much too my surprise, she wraps her arms around me. I feel so pathetic. Look at me, I'm bawling my eyes out like a fucking child. I'm so weak that Rei of all people needs to comfort me. But. . .it feels right.

Rei Ayanami. Someone who won't judge me or give me false pity. Someone who will listen and try to understand me. Someone who won't look at me in disgust when I'm like this. Someone. . .I can trust completely. I never felt this way in a long time.

I continue to cry my eyes out until I get tired. Eventually falling asleep.

* * *

Author's Notes: It was kinda difficult writing this chapter, but I was able to push through and finish it. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much I enjoyed writing it. Leave a review telling me your thoughts.

Chapter 6 hint: This one should be easy, I already used this band in previous chapters. "Rudy enjoys dancing", that's the only hint to the band's name (like I said, easy). The name of the song is within the title of this chapter. I only changed a few words so it should be easy to guess the song's name.

P.S: I chose to reuse one of the bands from previous chapters because I really like this one song from one of the bands. This song fits well with this chapter in my opinion.

Next chapter will arrive in a few weeks.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Might Be Team Spirit

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.**

A frown molds itself onto my face as I glare at Misato. She's looks back from the front seat, offering a smug look. Toji and Kensuke occupy the seats on either side of me. They're also wearing the same stupid look Misato's been giving me. It's annoying! They all been like this the entire fucking ride! Can they give it a fucking rest?!

I take a breath to calm myself down.

"For the last time," I say slowly, "NOTHING HAPPENED! ! !"

"Whatever you say," they all say simultaneously.

I swear the pilot up front is laughing.

"I MEAN IT! ! !" I respond, irritated.

"Then why didn't you tell me you'd be staying at Rei's place the **entire** night?" Misato asks. "I wouldn't be so suspicious if you just called and said 'Hey, I won't be home tonight'."

I let out a groan. "I already told you! I didn't know that was gonna happen!"

"Is that so?" She raises one of her eye brows. "Saying 'I didn't know' sounds like a flimsy excuse." Her smile widens. "You do realise when I sent out a search party, you and her were found sleeping in the same bed."

Of course I know that! I was there!

Upon hearing Misato's claims, Toji and Kensuke's jaws drop.

"I-I was just joking before, but you actually. . . 'did the deed' with Rei?" asks Kensuke.

Toji's practically grinning ear to ear. "Looks like you really did become a man! No bad, Michael. Not bad."

I become flustered. "It's nothing like that! I know it sounds bad! But I swear nothing happened!"

They both give me the "Yeah right" look, which only increases my irritation.

They've been taunting me about Rei for the past three days. Though, I guess I should've saw this coming. Afterall, if I heard a guy was staying at a girl's place overnight, I'd also be suspicious. Crap! I can still remember how awkward it was waking up next to her! It was one in the morning, and my heart nearly stopped when I woke up to her staring at me. She just kept staring, and I couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Embarrassed about being in the same bed as her. Embarrassed about my behavior the night before. It's just too much for someone like me to deal with. Me and her continued to stare at each other for god knows how long. I attempted to speak but was cut off when a bunch of men in black suits, led by Misato, burst into the apartment. I swear, the embarrassment almost killed me.

I let out a frustrated sigh as I bring my mind back to the present. I look over Kensuke to peek out the window he's sitting next to. There's nothing but an endless ocean out there. The waters are calm, barely a wave in sight. It's so peaceful out there. Just wish the rest of the day could be like the ocean. But I know it can't. There's a reason I'm on this helicopter ride. Misato's taking me to meet the new pilot. Someone I'll **have** to work with. Asuka Langley Soryu.

 **. . .**

I'm not looking forward to that.

A few more minutes pass when Kensuke alerts us that we've arrived at our destination. I scoot over to his side to get a better look outside. Toji practically climbs over me to look out the window as well.

There are several warships sailing in formation, each carrying an assortment of aircraft. The ship in the middle of the formation looks important. It's probably where we'll be landing. The Over the Rainbow. What a weird name to give a ship.

We land on the Over the Rainbow warship and are greeted by the crew. Shortly after, Toji, Kensuke, and I begin exploring the ship. Misato follows us closely, making sure we don't get in any trouble. Kensuke pulls out the video camera he brought along, and starts recording our time here. The guy would get so excited whenever he'd see a plane, a jet or some other vehicle located on this ship. It's ridiculous, but frankly, his excitement is contagious. I mean, what kid doesn't like machines. Though, Toji seems bored out of his mind.

"Crap!" curses Toji as the suddenly wind speed picks the hat off his head.

He chases after the object and Kensuke (tearing his gaze away from an old jet) runs after his friend. The scene playing out starts to look familiar, meaning Asuka must be near by. Immediately, I hid behind Misato.

"What are you doing?" she asks.

"Hiding."

". . .Why?"

"You'll see."

She gives me a questioning look before shrugging her shoulders. She walks to Toji and Kensuke's location while I continue using her as a wall. Not even a minute passes when I hear two loud smacks, followed by angry screaming. Looks like they met her.

"HEY! WHAT WAS THAT FOR! ? !" Toji asks his assailant.

"It's the viewing fee! Fitting for a pervert like you!" responds the assailant.

"The price is pretty high! Don't worry, here's your change!"

I can hear Kensuke facepalm himself and see Misato giggling.

Okay, what did he do?

"AHHH! ! ! IDIOT! ! !"

Asuka hits Toji a few more times before stopping.

"Oh! Misato! It's good to see you!" she greets in what I can tell is false enthusiasm.

"It's good to see you too Asuka," greets Misato. "You've grown a bit since I last met you."

"Of course! Not only have I gotten taller but my figure filled out as well," gloats Asuka. "Now, aren't you going to introduce me?"

"Right. Everyone, this is the pilot for Eva Unit-02. Asuka Langley Soryu."

"That's right! The best pilot Germany has to offer," Asuka gloats again. "Now, which one's the Fourth Child?"

Fourth Child? Oh, right. Shinji was the third which makes me the fourth. Though, no one's ever referred to me as the "Fourth Child".

"Please don't tell me it's **that** idiot."

"Who are you callin' an idiot?!" responds Toji to Asuka's insult.

Misato turns her head to me then smiles. I roll my eyes and move from my hiding space, into Asuka's line of sight.

"No, that would be me."

I now have Asuka's attention. She's wearing a yellow dress, the kind you would see people wear on a beach vacation. Her hair is loose, held in twin tails by two red hair clips. Though, I think the "hair clips" is actually one Interface Headset. Something only used when piloting an Eva. She stands as if she's rooted to the ground, daring anyone to try to push her aside. I hate to admit it, but she's also kinda cute. Just wish her personality wasn't so toxic.

A spark of curiosity ignites in those blue eyes. I guess I'm not who she was expecting. She gets closer, looking me up and down.

"Hmm. So this is the Fourth Child."

"This 'Fourth Child' has a name." I respond, slightly irritated by her staring.

She looks slightly taken aback by my words, probably detecting my annoyance.

"Michael be nice," Misato tells me in a playful voice. "Sorry about that. He's just upset at the conversation we had on our way here."

"Screw off," I grumble at Misato.

"That's fine. I'm sure it was a one time thing," Asuka says as she offers a smug look. I mumble a few profanities under my breath. She directs her attention to Misato. "Anyway, would you mind telling me what happened to the Third Child? I heard he had to be replaced, but no one will tell me why that is?"

Misato's eyes widen, before she lowers her head slightly. "He. . .he died during his first fight against an Angel."

I hear Toji and Kensuke gasp. Right, don't think I ever told them how I came to pilot Unit-01. But what catches my attention, what really surprises me, is Asuka's reaction. Her jaw drops slightly and her breath hitches for a moment. The few emotions I can make out is shock and. . .fear? I think it's fear. It's not something I'd ever expect to see from someone like her. I might've misjudged her. Then again, you can't really know someone you've never met.

All the emotions she had disappears, replaced with a smirk.

"Well, it's to be expected. That's what happens when you send an untrained pilot into battle."

My skin becomes cold and I can feel my heart beat a little faster. My fists tighten as my face twists into a scowl.

I take everything back! She's just bitch who doesn't think about anyone other than herself!

"Show some respect!" I snap at her. "No one asked for your input!"

Her smile fades away as she gives me a disbelieving look.

"What did you say to me?"

"Oookay!" Misato gets between me and Asuka. "Let's go see the captain of this ship. Asuka, can you show us the way?"

Asuka glances at Misato for a moment then glares at me. "Yeah. . .sure," she points her nose in the air then turns her back to me. "Follow me."

She starts walking, and we soon follow.

"Off to a good start," Misato whispers to me in a sarcastic tone.

"I'm not apologizing."

She sighs then goes quiet.

I cross my arms and continue to scowl.

* * *

We're all inside the ship's bridge. Misato's speaking to the captain, arguing something about the Evangelions and who has authority here. I'm not paying attention, partially because the conversation wasn't all that interesting. Mainly, because Asuka's been giving me the stink eye ever since I snapped at her. It's kinda distracting and is really pissing me off.

"The hell are you looking at?" I ask her quite rudely.

"Who do you think you are to speak to me that way?" she asks, putting her hands on her hips while narrowing her eyes.

"No one special," I tell her as I shrug my shoulders. "I just don't like you."

"You don't even know me!"

"I know enough." I send her a glare. "I know you don't care about anyone other than yourself."

I catch a glimpse of Kensuke running around the room, pointing his camera everywhere in sight. It looks like he's getting on the crew's nerves.

I let out a sigh. "Kensuke! Quit fucking around!"

He doesn't hear me, which gets me to shake my head.

"Don't worry I got him!" Toji tells me as he runs to his friend.

I put my hands in my pockets and let out a chuckle. But, I can still feel Asuka's eyes burrowing into the side of my head.

"Can you quit it?!"

"You have no right to speak to me that way!"

"I can speak to you however the hell I want!"

She gets in my face. "Apologize, now!"

I get closer, nearly headbutting her. "Get out of my face!"

A loud cough catches my attention. Looking for the source of the noise, I see Misato giving me a disapproving look. I let out a sigh then backed off.

"Anyway," Misato continues her conversation with the captain. "I must remind you that in the event of an emergency, Nerv has full military authority."

"Well you're as confident as ever," says a voice near the entrance of the bridge.

Misato becomes rigid and Asuka's irritated look turns into a large grin.

"Kaji!" Asuka practically screams in excitement as she looks over to the man who spoke.

"Mr. Kaji, you must stop inviting yourself into the bridge!" The captain tells the man in a disapproving voice.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself." The man, Kaji, says in a smooth voice. "When I heard Ms. Katsuragi was visiting, I just had to see her personally."

I get a better look at the man. He has brown hair tied into a pony tail and dons a five o'clock shadow. He wears a light blue dress shirt with a red tie loosely tied around his neck. The man shows a confident smile as he looks at Misato.

Misato's fists tighten and her face twists into a scowl. She turns to the captain then raises her hand in salute.

"We'll continue our conversation another time. Excuse us." She lowers her hand then signals me to follow her. I nod then get Toji and Kensuke to do the same. Asuka doesn't follow us, too busy being infatuated with Kaji. Good thing too, I don't think can spend another minute with her.

We make our way out of the bridge, down the ship's hallway. Misato seems to be in a hurry to get somewhere, though she hasn't told us where we're going. Heh, she probably doesn't have a destination in mind.

"Sooo, anything you'd like to tell us?" I ask her while revealing my shit eating grin.

She huffs in frustration. "It's nothing you need to worry about."

"What? You don't want to talk about your boyfriend back there?"

She nearly explodes.

"HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND! ! !"

"Not fun when someone else is doing the teasing, is it?"

She crosses her arms and stares ahead. "Just drop it. And don't think you're off the hook about Asuka. Didn't I tell you to be nice to her?"

I roll my eyes. "Whatever."

Our group continue walking down the ship's endless halls. We've been doing this for about twenty minutes non stop. I think we're going in circles. We're probably lost, but Misato's too stubborn to admit it. My stomach growls, putting me in a bad mood. I need to find something, anything to eat.

We head down one hallway which leads to an elevator. But there's a problem, at least for Misato. Standing next to the elevator is Kaji and Asuka. The former's casually waving at us.

"Do you need help, Captain Katsuragi?" asks Kaji.

Misato's about to say something, but I cut her off.

"Actually, could you show us to the mess hall? We're starving!"

Misato glares at me. I respond by sticking my tongue out.

Kaji chuckles at our antics and agrees to show us the mess hall. We all cram ourselves into the elevator to enter the lower level of the ship.

 **. . .**

I regret doing that.

Few minutes later, our group is seated at one the tables inside the cafeteria. I'm stuffing all the food on my plate into my mouth, not caring how ridiculous I looked.

"Geez man, slow down." says Toji.

"Seriously, you make Toji look civil in comparison." adds Kensuke.

I swallow down some more food before speaking. "I don't want hear any shit from you two. I haven't eaten anything since this morning!"

Misato gives me an odd look. "What do you mean? I made you breakfast didn't I?"

I give her a blank stare. "How can you call that crap food? It looked like something you'd see in a landfill."

"Hey! If you didn't like it then **you** should've made breakfast!"

"You know good and well I can't do that shit everyday!"

Kaji starts laughing. "So, I'm guessing Misato still doesn't know a thing about cooking."

I nod and Misato looks away from Kaji's gaze, crossing her arms.

Kaji's calm smile turns to a mischievous one.

"Tell me Michael. Is she still wild in bed?"

Everyone's jaw drops. Misato's face turns completely red and I have to hold back my urge to laugh.

I could try to do damage control, but. . .

"Eh, she's fine." Now I have everyone's attention. Misato's giving me a dangerous look. "I wouldn't describe her as wild just. . .average. But man, I didn't expect her to do that sort of th- OW! ! ! OW! ! ! OW! ! !"

Crap! She's got me in a headlock! Malice is written all over her face.

"OKAY! ! ! I GET IT! ! ! YOU CAN LET ME GO NOW! ! !"

She releases me then gives me a hostile look. She then directs that gaze to Kaji and starts yelling at him.

"AND YOU! ! ! HOW DARE YOU SUGGEST I WOULD DO SUCH A THING! ! !"

Kaji holds his hands up in defense. Yet, he continues to smile. "Hey, you know I was only joking."

"I DON'T CARE! ! !"

I start laughing, but shut up when Misato gives me a dirty look.

"A-Anyway," I direct my attention to Kaji. "I don't think I actually introduced myself. How did you know my name?"

"Heh. You'd have to be deaf for anyone to not know **your** name." He explains. "Multiple organizations, including the U.N., have taken an interest in you."

My eyes widen. "R-Really?"

He nods. "You see, people are wondering how someone with the ability to pilot an Eva, showed up out of the blue. All potential pilots are constantly monitored by the U.N., SEELE and other organizations. Yet you appeared under their radar. That never happens. As you can imagine, that got a lot of people's attention."

Misato's scowl turns to worry, then suspicion. She glances at me and her look softens. Her attempt to reassure me that nothing's wrong.

Her attempt fails.

I become slightly nervous. I can't help it! I've got the whole world's attention, and somehow, I don't think that's a good thing! Shit! Now I have to add that to the list of things to worry about!

Our conversation eventually drifted off to other things. Mainly generic subjects such as work and life at home. Kaji then switches his attention to Misato. He starts flirting with her, but she's having none of that. Kensuke got bored and began recording any relics he could find in the mess hall. Toji's been trying, and failing, to get Misato's attention. Meanwhile, I started staring off into space.

While I was daydreaming, I couldn't help but notice Asuka staring at me. She has a look an athlete would give before a game. She's studying me, seeing what makes me special. It's like my mere existence here is somehow challenging her status. Like I'm just another opponent she needs to defeat.

 **. . .**

It's annoying.

* * *

I got bored and start exploring the ship on my own. As much as I enjoy my friends' company, I prefer being alone. It gives me time to "recharge", if that makes any sense. The ship is filled with so many people, each too busy working to pay me any mind. I get to see the ship's machinery and how the crew gets those machines working. But, that's about it. There's nothing else here. Sure, I spotted a few rooms that had television. But they were being used, and I didn't want to be rude by hogging the thing. I let out sigh and decide to go back to the ship's deck. Perhaps I can look at the aircraft again.

I find an elevator, enter it, then press a button, making my way up. The machine stops, meaning I arrived at my destination. The doors slide open, revealing Asuka.

Damn.

She seems surprised to see me at first, but that quickly disappears. She dons a confident look then speaks.

"I've been looking for you." She grabs my right arm then pulls me out of the elevator. "Come on!"

"What the hell?!" I pry her hand off my arm. "Mind not dragging me around?!"

She rolls her eyes. "Just follow me."

"Why the hell should I?!" I question her.

"Why are you being difficult?!" she asks, obviously irritated. "I need to show you something, that's why!"

"Mind telling me what you wanna show me?"

She puts her hands on her waist and smiles. "Well, it was going to be a surprise. But since you're being such a spoilsport, I guess I have no choice but to tell you. We're going to see Unit-02."

I raise an eyebrow. "Why?"

She lets out a condescending "ha". "Because you need to see what a **real** Eva looks like!"

I go silent.

I already know what Unit-02 looks like, so there's no need for me to go out of my way to see it. But on the other hand, I'm bored, and seeing a giant robot might brighten my day. Also, Asuka's probably not gonna leave me alone until I see her Eva. So I might as well get it over with.

"Okay," I say hesitantly. "Lead the way."

Satisfied with my answer, she walks off, fully expecting me to follow without complaint.

I let out a sigh then walk after her.

Few minutes later, Asuka and I are riding a small boat to one of the surrounding ships. One of the sailors from the previous ship was nice enough to give us this ride. At this distance, I can tell which ship we're heading to. It has a large tarp covering the massive object it's carrying. The object is most likely Unit-02. Though, it's odd how I didn't see it on my helicopter ride.

We finally got on the ship carrying the Eva. Asuka lifts part of the tarp covering the robot, then takes the stairs to go deeper into the container it is being held in. When I follow her down, I'm greeted with a full view of Unit-02.

It's lying on its side, partially submerged in the surrounding LCL that fills the container. It has two sets of eyes arranged in rows. It also has some kind of orange crest on its forehead. But the most distinct feature of this behemoth, is its deep red color. Whoever was in charge of coloring this thing obviously wanted it stand out. It's as if the Eva's declaring to the world, "I am here! Look at me!"

"Impressive, right?!"

I look around to see where Asuka's voice came from. She's standing on top of Unit-02.

When did she get up there?

"Well. . . it sure stands out." I tell her. Though, if I'm being honest, Unit-02 looks slightly cooler than my Eva.

"That's right! Know why? It's because Unit-02 is the first production model," she explains while at the same time boosting her own ego. "Unit-00 and Unit-01 are only prototypes. Which explains how someone like you, someone with so little training, can easily synchronize with one of those relics! But Unit-02 is one of a kind! You know what that means right? My Unit-02, is the world's first true Evangelion! ! !"

I give her a slow, sarcastic, clap.

"Wow, what a lovely performance. You should get an Oscar."

"Hmph! No need to be jealous Fourth Child." she says while still retaining her air of superiority.

"I'm not jealous. And quit calling me 'Fourth Child'!"

"Why shouldn't I call you that Fourth Child?" she asks while smirking. "It is your title after all."

"Because I have a fucking name!" I tell her while giving her a dirty look. "Now get off that thing, you look stupid up there! Not that you didn't before."

Her eyes narrow. "Are you always such a jerk to people you just met?"

I take a moment to think, then smile. "Actually. . .yeah."

A crashing noise resonates throughout the entire container, shaking the platform I'm standing on. The still LCL now becomes waves and Asuka nearly falls off her Eva.

"What was that?! An earthquake?!" she asks as she regains her balance.

When the platform becomes steady, I turn my head to the stairs.

"No. But I have an idea what it was."

I run up the stairs to the top deck. When there, I look over the ship's railing and spot something moving under the ocean. Something big!

"Crap!"

The creature crashes into multiple ships, destroying them. The thing's so fast! The people in those ships didn't stand a chance!

Asuka catches up with me and sees the damage done.

"What did this?" she asks.

"An Angel," I respond. "Asuka, go into Unit-02 and prepare for battle. I'll alert Misato."

She glares at me. "Don't tell me what to do! Besides. . ." she grins. "I got a better idea. Follow me!"

She goes back into Unit-02's container. I pause for a moment, roll my eyes, then follow her down. As soon as I get to the bottom level of the container, a red plugsuit flies in my face. I grab it then look at Asuka who's giving me an impatient look.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Put it on!"

I look at the plugsuit then back to her. "Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?! We're going to pilot my Eva to fight the Angel!" A smile creeps onto her face. "More accurately, **I'm** going to fight the Angel and **you** get to watch how a real pilot gets things done!"

I give her a blank stare. "I'm not wearing this thing and I'm not going into Unit-02."

"This isn't up for debate!" She tells me. Asuka then walks to the other end of the container, out of my sight. "I'm going to change! Don't even think about peeking!"

"Get over yourself!"

I look at the plugsuit and sigh.

Well, an Evangelion is technically the safest place to be when there's an Angel attack. Afterall, unlike these warships, the Eva can fight an Angel. Just hope I don't look too ridiculous wearing this thing.

* * *

Dammit! There's not enough room in here! There's only one seat and Asuka insists she takes up most of the space. Also, I **hate** this plugsuit! It was obviously made with females in mind, so there isn't a lot of room down there! That, and the suit makes my body look feminine. Fuck! I look like a fucking crossdresser!

"Dammit Asuka! Move over!"

"Shut up! I need to focus!" She presses a bunch of buttons and speaks what sounds like a speech in German. The Eva activates shortly before shutting down. "Scheiss!"

"Told you it wouldn't activate with two pilots."

"That's not the problem," she explains. "You're thoughts are causing interference! The Eva can't process more than one language at a time! If you must think, do it in German!"

I roll my eyes then smile. "Ja mein fuhrer. Heil Asuka! Sieg Heil! Schnitzel!"

She gives me a disbelieving look before letting out a groan. "I hate you."

"The feeling's mutual."

She shakes her head.

"Switching language to Japanese," the Eva restarts itself. "Activating Unit-02, now!"

The robot actually starts working. She commands the Eva to climb out of the container. The tarp covering the robot wraps itself around it, making Unit-02 look like it's wearing a cape.

"We're on limited power," I alert her while looking at the display screen.

"There's an umbilical cable on the Over the Rainbow," she explains while donning a smirk. "We just need to get to it."

She turns on the radio. "Hello, this is Asuka. I need the crew of the Over the Rainbow to prepare Unit-02's umbilical cable."

It sounds like someone at the other end is fighting for control of the microphone.

"We'll be ready!" Misato says over the radio.

"Kay, we'll see you there." I respond.

"Michael? You're in there too?!" she asks, excitement in her voice.

"Unfortunately, yes."

Asuka rolls her eyes at my comment. "Get ready!"

I already know how she plans to our destination, so I let out a chuckle. "Kay, just don't fall in the water. B-Type equipment, remember?"

"Yeah yeah! Just watch and learn!"

The Eva gets into a crouching position before sending itself flying to another ship. The tarp that was covering the Eva flies off, taken by the sudden air pressure. I feel weightless at the apex of Unit-02's jump, before gravity returns to me as the robot lands. The Eva once again jumps to another ship and I can't help but smile throughout the entire experience. Think becoming a pilot has turned me into an adrenaline junky.

We jump off one last ship before landing on the Over The Rainbow. The entire ship shakes under our weight. Few of the planes on the vessel were catapulted to the ocean due to our impact. Kensuke's not gonna be happy about that.

Asuka finds the umbilical cable and inserts it into the Eva, giving it unlimited power.

Misato cheers over the radio as I bring my attention to the approaching target. The Angel slowly breaches the ocean's surface, revealing it's white colored head.

Asuka commands her Eva to open its left shoulder pylon, pulling out a Progressive knife. She gets into a combat stance as she prepares for the Angel's attack.

The creature jumps out of the water, towards me and Asuka. It's several times bigger than both Unit-02 and the warship it's standing on. When it lands, it nearly tips the ship over and almost catapults us off the vessel. Asuka commands her Eva to grab the creature and stab it with the knife. The object pierces its A.T. field and enters the creature. The Angel beings flailing it body around.

"See that Fourth Child!" Asuka says while gritting her teeth. "This is how you fight an Angel!"

"Pay attention dammit! You haven't killed it yet!" I remind her. "And quit calling me Fourth Child!"

The ground becomes unstable, causing us both to slip.

"Crap!"

"Scheiss!"

We fall into the ocean. The Eva's sinking, fast!

"Shit! You both need to find your way out of the water! You won't be able to fight down there!" Misato tells us in a hurried tone.

"You'll never know until you try!" responds Asuka. "Don't worry! A little water won't stop me from killing this thing!"

The Angel, now in its element, starts charging at us. The thing kinda looks like a mix between a shark and a sting ray. It opens its snout, revealing an array of teeth as well as its core.

Asuka tries moving the Eva but it refuses to listen to her.

"What?!"

"How many years of training you said you had again?" I ask in a condescending tone.

"S-Shut up!"

"B-Type equipment, remember."

"Will you shu-"

The Angel's impact stops our bickering. It bites into Unit-02 and starts shaking us around as well as slamming us into several underwater debris. It didn't hurt as much as I thought it would, then again, the pain is probably being divided between Asuka and I. Asuka tries to pry the creature's mouth open, but it won't budge.

"Dammit! Dammit! ! ! DAMMIT! ! !" Asuka screams in frustration.

I'm oddly calm throughout the entire situation. I guess coming close to death so many times made me numb to its sting.

"Alright calm down," I tell Asuka. "Getting pissed isn't gonna get us anywhere."

"What the hell do you know?!" She asks, challenging me.

"I'm sorry, how many Angels have **you** killed?"

She goes silent.

"That's what I thought. Now listen."

The Angel has half of Unit-02 in its mouth, so I can see inside. Its core is far back in its throat, out of the Eva's reach. If we had some kind of long ranged weapon, like a spear or a gun, we could end this now. We could try throwing the Progressive knife at it. The problem is, Asuka dropped it when we fell into the ocean. Crap! I got nothing. Well, there's only one thing left to do.

"Get Misato on the radio."

She huffs a bit, but complies.

"Hello? What's happening down there?!" asks Misato.

Asuka and I report the situation we're in. I made sure to tell Misato the location of the Angel's core, which catches her attention.

"The core's in there you say," she says, probably mostly talking to herself. "Okay, I got an idea."

Misato explains to us and to the crew of the Over The Rainbow her plan to kill the Angel. She wants the crew to use the Eva's umbilical cable as a sort of fishing line, in order to drag the Angel closer to the surface. Meanwhile, two evacuated warships will sink, falling into the Angel's path. Asuka and I will then open the creature's mouth, giving it a taste of the entire arsenal of two remotely activated warships at point-blank range.

The plan sounds desperate, and a lot of things need to go right for it to work. But I know it'll succeed.

The Angel continues shaking the Eva, throwing us around the entry plug. It only stops when I feel something snag at the back of Unit-02, pulling the Angel (and us) away from the bottom of the ocean.

The crew must've already begun reeling in the umbilical cable. I need to get the Angel's mouth open, now!

Being thrown around caused Asuka to let go of the control handles. I have to crawl over her to grab them.

I start pulling them back, trying to force the Eva to open the Angel's jaws.

"Huh? What are you- Hey get off me you pervert! ! !" screams Asuka.

"Get the fuck over yourself! You're not that pretty!" I say while gritting my teeth. "I'm trying to pry this Angel's ja- HEY! ! !"

The bitch starts hitting me!

"WHO SAID YOU COULD USE MY EVA WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! ! !"

I grab one of her wrists and glare at her.

"Hit me again, and I will shove my foot up your ass."

She matches my glare with her own. I sigh in frustration.

"Look, if we don't work together, then Misato's plan will fail. You understand?"

She doesn't say anything for a few seconds, then sighs. "Fine."

I nod then start pulling on the control handles as hard as I can. Asuka reaches over me to grab the same controls.

"Don't get any ideas." she tells me.

"Shut up and pull."

We use every bit of strength we have in our bodies to try to get the Angel to open its mouth. I don't focus on anything around me. Not on Asuka, not on the pain in my arms. I just focus on getting the Eva to use all its strength.

Come on! Open damn it!

Suddenly, I feel a surge of power spread across my entire form! It's like there's fire in my blood! I'm having trouble staying still. A large grin paints my face as I let out a laugh. Apparently, Asuka feels the same thing I'm feeling, because she's laughing as well.

Digging deep, we pull back on the controls as hard as we can. We let out a primal scream as we completely pry the Angel's mouth open. Not even a minute passes when two warships fall into the creature's gaping maw.

"NOW! ! !" Asuka and I command over the radio. As soon as we said that, those ships unleashed hell inside that Angel, which is followed by an explosion. The blast pushes us out of the water and sends us flying into one of the other warships. When we land on the vessel, we collapse.

Both of us are breathing hard. Yet, despite the life threatening situation we were put through, smiles are painted on our faces.

"You *huff* did pretty good." I compliment her.

"Of *huff* course I did," she gloats. "I am *huff* the best pilot *huff* after all."

I chuckle. "You could *huff* at least pretend to be modest."

We both continue to laugh, not bothering to open the entry plug for a while.

* * *

I just got back to Misato's apartment. It was a long fucking day, so I just plopped onto the couch in the living room. I didn't even bother taking off my shoes when I entered this place.

"Well, today was exciting wasn't it." Misato says in a cheerful voice.

"That's one way of putting it," I respond, the couch muffling my voice. "Can we talk later? I'm tired."

"Oh stop being a baby." I hear the fridge open, followed by a click and a hissing sound. No doubt she's drinking a beer. "Now, tell me what you think of Asuka."

I let out a long exhale then pick my head off the couch. Misato's taking a sip of beer, waiting for my response.

"What can I say," I start. "She's a loud-mouthed bitch."

Despite helping me with today's mission, my opinion of her hasn't changed one bit. Our cooperation was just temporary truce to defeat a common enemy.

"What a shame. *Sigh* I was really hoping you'd get along with her."

"If she had an attitude adjustment, maybe I would."

A smile creeps its way onto Misato's face.

"Perhaps it's a good thing you didn't get along with her. *Snicker* It gives Rei less competition."

I nearly fall off the couch before scowling at Misato.

"You know what, I'm not getting into this argument. Not right now." I head to my room. "I'm gonna take a nap. Don't bother me."

"Awww! You're no fun." She says in mock disappointment.

I enter my room then fall asleep. Tomorrow's a school day, but I know it's not gonna be an ordinary day. Just what I fucking need. Shit.

Tomorrow morning, I make myself breakfast then walk to school. Class hasn't begun yet, so there's no teacher in the homeroom. Everyone's getting settled and are talking to each other. Rei speaks with me briefly, digging for information on the pilot of Unit-02. That, and I think she just wanted to hear my opinion of her. Anyway, I told her everything I knew, satisfying her curiosity. Right now, I'm speaking with Toji and Kensuke. Toji's rubbing his right shoulder. Probably still aches from yesterday.

"Damn, you didn't have to hit me **that** hard." Toji tells me.

"I warned you not to say a word about the plugsuit," I remind him. "But noooo. You just had to open you mouth."

"Hey! It was funny and you know it!" he says while grinning. "Come on Kensuke! Back me up!"

"Not getting involved," says Kensuke. "Unlike you I bruise easily."

"He's smart. You should follow his example." A smirk carves its way onto my face.

"Whatever." Toji crosses his arms.

Kensuke lets out a laugh. "Well, can we all take solace that at least we won't be running into Asuka again."

Toji chuckles. "Yeah, good for me and you. Michael still has to work with her."

Kensuke gives me an overly dramatic look. "You have my sympathies."

I can't help but laugh. Sadly, they're wrong about me only meeting Asuka at work.

"Yeah. . .about about that-"

The sound of the front door opening cuts me off. Everyone in class thinks it's the teacher, so they become quiet and stare at the front of the room. But it isn't a teacher who walks in. Instead, a girl with red hair strolls into the room, heading to the chalkboard. Toji and Kensuke's jaws fall to the floor. I let out frustrated sigh. The girl grabs some chalk and writes her name in big, bold, letters on the chalkboard. She then turns to the class.

"The name is Asuka Langley Soryu! Charmed I'm sure!"

* * *

Author's Notes: That's right folks! Asuka's finally been introduced into the story! I've been wanting to write how Michael would interact with her, so as you can imagine, I had a ton of fun with this! Hope I kept her in character and I hope you guys enjoyed the story. Feel free to leave a review.

Chapter 7 hint: The band's name is another word for paradise (think Buddhism). The name of the song should be obvious once you figure out the band's name.

New chapter will arrive in a few weeks. Hmm. Maybe a month.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Shut Up and Dance Like You Mean It

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.**

Yesterday was fucking hell! I knew I was gonna have a bad time with Asuka there, but damn, I didn't know it was gonna be that bad! The whole class treated her exactly how they treated me when I first arrived. They would ask Asuka stupid questions and fawn over every word coming out of her mouth. Hell, even the teachers would act like the redhead was some kind of princess! The worst part was that, unlike me, she would revel in all the attention. Drinking in every compliment like they were fine wine. It was extremely irritating watching her display that arrogant smile, knowing she had the whole class wrapped around her little finger! The whole fucking day was like that! Just the class staring in awe at the "oh so great" Asuka! It honestly makes me sick to my stomach!

I let out a long sigh as I walk onto campus. Usually I'd meet up with Toji and Kensuke, but they're off somewhere selling photos of Asuka to the boys at school. You see, after noticing how every guy in class was attracted to the redhead, Kensuke found an opportunity. He started taking pictures of Asuka then selling them. They weren't anything too revealing. The photos just consisted of her hanging around her "friends" or going to the school's pool. Kensuke got Toji involved and tried to get me in on it too, but I refused. I don't feel like getting in trouble. Also, I'm pretty sure what they're doing is illegal, or morally questionable at best. For those wondering, Asuka's fully aware of her exploits and doesn't seem the least bit upset. She's more irritated than anything else.

I shake my head to rid my thoughts of the girl. The least I think about her, the better. Just need to avoid her like I did yesterday. There's only so much I'm willing to deal wi-

"Guten Morgen!"

 **. . .**

Fuck my life and fuck this universe!

Alright Michael. Just keep walking. Maybe if I pretend I don't hear her, she'll leave me alone.

"Guten Morgen!" repeats the bane of my existence, albeit slightly irritated.

Ignore her. Walk faster. Keep your head down. Keep your eyes on the ground! Boy, the concrete sure looks great today. That's right, get lost in its elegance!

My wonderful view of the ground becomes obscured by Asuka's shadow.

"Don't ignore me!" she demands, having moved in front of me. I look from the ground to see her. She has her hands on her hips and is leaning forward. Does she really think that pose is intimidating?

I give her a blank stare then speak in a dead voice. "Oh, Asuka. I didn't see you there."

She rolls her eyes then crosses her arms. "Why are you so upset?" A smirk becomes visible as she points her nose in the air. "You should be happy the most popular girl in school is speaking you."

"The attention you're getting is temporary," I inform her. "They reacted the same way when I first got here. They'll eventually calm down. So enjoy the spotlight while it lasts."

"That's where you're wrong," she insists. "They don't just adore me because I'm new. They've seen my beauty and all my talents, so they believe I'm worth their time."

"Wonder how you walk around with that big head of yours," I retort.

She scoffs at my comment.

"Anyway, do you know where the First Child is?"

Rei's probably sitting on a bench near the lower level of the school. That place is usually devoid of people.

I shrug my shoulders. Though, now that I think about it, we're standing near the stairs which leads to Rei's usual spot. Crap! Well, I just have to keep Asuka's attention away fr-

"Oh! There she is?" says Asuka as she peers over the rails, spotting Rei. Without hesitation, she goes down the stairs to greet the blue haired girl. Fucking great!

"Yo Michael!" calls a voice.

I turn around to see Toji and Kensuke heading my way. The latter's stuffing stacks of money in his pocket. They eventually get close enough so I don't have to yell.

"Done with your little 'operation'?" I ask while raising an eyebrow.

"We sure are! Got a lot of money selling those pics!" Toji says while smiling.

Kensuke looks around then asks, "What's with all these people?"

"Huh?"

I briefly scan my surroundings and see a bunch or student leaning over the rails. Must've snuck up on me while I was talking to Asuka. Still, I'm surprised I hadn't noticed them.

I point over the rails to show Kensuke what all the students are staring at. Kensuke looks in that direction and Toji follows suit.

"I guess that's why," says Kensuke.

"Wonder how this will go," Toji inquires.

We all stare at the scene unfolding. It's easy to hear what Asuka's saying, with her being so loud and all. She's declaring that her and Rei are going to be good friends. Rei is impossible to hear at this distance. She barely speaks above a whisper. Apparently, she said something that shocked Asuka, so the redhead voices her confusion.

"What?! What do you mean 'only if you're ordered to'?!"

"So that's what she said," I say while chuckling. Figured Rei would say something like that.

"Wonder if only weirdos are Eva pilots?" Toji comments, seemingly forgetting I'm standing right here.

I flick his ear which gets him to turn in my direction. He has the "what did I do" look. I respond with a blank stare.

"Wanna rephrase that?" I ask.

Toji rolls his eyes and Kensuke laughs.

Eventually, everyone gets to class and prepare for the rest of the day. Just like yesterday, everyone was bathing in Asuka's presence. It was really grating on my nerves. Whenever a teacher would ask the class a question, Asuka would proudly respond with the correct answer. This impressed the teachers and increased her popularity among the students. What made the day slightly bearable was testing out my new skill. Unlike the weeks before, I could actually understand what was being written on the board. Rei's tutoring was really paying off.

During one of the class breaks, my phone rings, interrupting the study session I was having with Rei. Rei's phone starts ringing as well. We both take a look at our devices then we look at each other. Immediately, we leave the room. Asuka, receiving the same message, runs out of the room as well.

There's a new Angel.

* * *

We all arrive at the Geofront and make our way to the Command Center. Misato briefs us on the Angel's location (somewhere near the Kii Peninsula). Unit-01 and Unit-02 will be used on this mission. Unit-00's still being repaired, so it won't be combat ready for a while. Throughout the whole briefing, Asuka's been giving Rei and I a weird look. Though, the former held her attention slightly more. The look is calculating, but I also detect a bit of spite.

Must still be sore on how Rei spoke to her.

Eventually, Asuka and I are sent to the Angel's location. Standing in the ocean, near the shore, is our target. It's a humanoid creature with three prongs for fingers. Its color is kind of a light shade of purple, and its main body's shaped like a triangle. Its core is situated on the pelvic area and its mask is located on the "chest". The mask in question is split into two colors, red and blue. The way they are separated reminds me of the yin and yang symbol.

Asuka and I are standing on the shore, readying ourselves for the upcoming battle. Asuka's Eva is equipped with a Sonic Glaive. A spear-like weapon whose function is similar to a Progressive Knife only with extended range. My Eva's equipped with the Pallet rifle, which is basically my default weapon.

I groan in disappointment. Misato's the one who chose our weapons, and I really wanted the Glaive.

"Funny how the new girl gets a cool spear while I'm stuck with a boring rifle," I radio Misato.

The captain chuckles in response. "I thought you hated fighting Angels up close. That's why I gave you the rifle."

"Yeah, well I still do," I respond. "But, it would've been nice for you to ask whether I wanted the glaive or not."

"Alright Michael, enough joking around." Misato commands.

"Right," I adopt a serious look on my face.

I don't know this Angel. At least, I don't think I do. There's a vague memory of it, some video on the internet involving that creature. Dammit! Wish I paid more attention! I just know that teamwork is key in this battle.

"Asuka, listen very closely." I say slowly. "Attacking individually might be a bad idea. We need to work together and-"

Asuka immediately commands her Eva to charge the Angel. The robot lifts the glaive over its head, preparing to strike.

"Or you can ignore every word I say! ! !" I yell in frustration.

Unit-02 jumps into the air, towards its prey. The robot then brings the glaive down onto the creature, splitting the Angel in two. Landing in the sea, Unit-02 then stands up straight, putting one hand on its hip.

A holographic screen appears on the bottom right corner of my display screen. It reveals Asuka's smug look.

"See that Fourth Child! That's how you end a fight! Quick, clean, and elegant."

I gotta say, I'm sort of impressed. The strike split the Angel down the middle, piercing the co-

 **. . .**

Where's the core?! Usually when the core's destroyed, pieces of it still remain. But there's nothing! The Angel's core is just. . .gone! Like it was never there in the first place. Something's wrong.

The seemingly dead creature starts moving! The two halves move away from each other, growing their own bodies.

Fuck! Now there's two of them! One red and one grey.

"What?!" says a confused Asuka.

The grey Angel charges at Asuka, prepared to strike. Asuka dodges the creature's attack and swings her glaive at it. The creature easily blocks the assault and shoots a beam of energy from its eyes, sending Asuka flying. I attempt to shoot the grey Angel, but its twin gets in the way and start attacking me. I dodge each one of its strikes and deliver a kick so I can gain some distance. I shoot at the now staggered creature, creating a cloud of smoke. Not even a second passes for the red devil to recover and charge at me. It takes a swipe at me while I use the rifle to guard my Eva. The gun is now cut in two. Oh shit!

"Why won't it die? ! ? !" I hear Asuka yell in frustration.

I dodge another attack from the red creature.

"We're getting nowhere fast!" I alert Asuka. "Back off and regroup!"

"Don't tell me what to do!" she starts. "I know how to do my job!"

"Dammit Asuka! This isn't the time to-" I'm cut short as the red Angel prepares to strike me. Instead of running, I charge at the creature and shove my back against its chest. Grabbing its arm, and using the creatures own momentum, I throw it over my shoulder and slam it into the ground. Something new I learned when training in the battle sim.

Extracting my Progressive Knife from the Eva's shoulder pylon, I drive the weapon into the Angel's core. The red orb cracks, and for a moment, I think I've won. That's when the creature grabs me and throws me across the battlefield. When I hit the ground, the impact nearly knocks the wind out of me. Getting up, I see my opponent rising to its feet, core completely intact.

What the hell?! It should be dead! Why isn't it-

Suddenly, remembering the creature's weakness, I attempt to alert Asuka.

"Listen! We need to attack together! Can you hea-"

I only hear static over the radio. Looking over where I last saw her, I see Unit-02's legs sticking out of the ocean. A rather undignified position.

"Shit."

Wait! Where's the other-

The grey Angel pops up in the corner of my eye! It swipes at me and I attempt to use the Eva's A.T. Field to defend itself. The field dampens the attack, only giving Unit-01 a scratch.

I jump back to gain some distance. The red Angel's eye sockets glow as it shoots a beam of energy at me. The beam knocks me out of the air and sends me to the ground.

"Dammit!" I smash my hand against the control handles. A scowl is painted on my face. I command my Eva to get to its feet. Fueled completely by rage, I charge at the Angels. "Screw you two! ! !"

Both of their masks glow as two beams of energy head towards me.

Just charge straight through them and crush both of their cores. I just need to-

Everything goes black.

When I return to the land of consciousness, I see the Eva's shutdown. I can't even get anyone on the radio. How long was I out?

"Well. . . fuck."

It takes about an hour for Nerv to extract me from Unit-01. When out, I found out why they took so long. The Angels somehow jammed my Eva's top half deep underground. Nerv had to dig around the robot to reach and extract my entry plug. Wonder how they'll remove Unit-01.

Anyway, Asuka and I are taken to the Command Center. For some reason, we weren't allowed to change out of our plugsuits. Something about Vice Commander Fuyutsuki wanting to see us immediately. When we arrived there, we were shown a recording of our battle. It was an utter failure. So much so, the U.N. had to intervene and bombed those Angels to hell. They didn't kill the creatures, but it was enough put them in a dormant state.

Asuka's not happy. Not one bit.

"This is all your fault! ! !" she blames me.

"No! You're not pulling this crap!" I tell her. "If you'd just listen to me, we wouldn't be in this mess! ! !"

"You're saying this is my fault?!"

"Of course this is your fault! ! !"

"Why should I listen to an amateur like you?! I've had years of experience piloting an Eva! ! !"

"And your doing such an 'amazing' job!" I reply sarcastically. "You haven't killed a single Angel by yourself, this is only your second time in actual combat, yet you claim **I'm** the amateur? ! ? !"

"Why you-"

"ENOUGH! ! !" yells Vice Commander Fuyutsuki. This got both Asuka and I to stop our bickering. "What do you both think your jobs are?!"

". . .Piloting Eva?" Asuka says tentatively.

"Wrong!" That gets both Asuka and I to flinch. "It's to defeat the Angels! It's a responsibility that needs to be taken seriously! The world's at the brink of calamity, and I will **not** risk its well being because our pilots think mindless bickering is more important than their **jobs**! The U.N. won't always be there to fix your mistakes, so learn to **work together**!"

"What do you think I'm trying to do?!" I ask.

"It looks like you not even trying to temper the flames between you and Asuka!" The Vice Commander points out. "You only seem interested in antagonizing her!"

"What?!" I say in surprise.

"Enough of this." The man presses a button, making the platform he's standing on to descend into the ground. "These two are now your problem Kaji." The man and the platform disappear into the floor.

I let out a scoff. What the hell does he know? I don't antagonize Asuka. I just point out her shitty behavior. She's the one causing problems.

"Yo Kaji," I alert the man who was casually watching Fuyutsuki chew me and Asuka out. "Do you know where Misato is?"

Kaji stretches his arms a bit. "She's doing paperwork. Due to all the collateral damage, and the need for the U.N. to get involved, someone has to report today's failure. Naturally, the responsibility falls on the one in charge of today's mission."

Wow. . .really? Sounds like a lot of work. Kinda feel bad for Misato.

"Well, I'm gonna take a shower then go home," I begin walking out of the Command Center. "See ya."

"Wait a second Hart." Kaji stops me. "Misato wants you to go back to school."

"What?!" I turn around, caught off guard at what he said. "Are you serious?!"

The man nods. "School's not over yet."

I shake my head then look at Asuka. "What about her?"

"Oh, Asuka?" Kaji says while maintaining the smirk he always wears. "She needs to take care of a few things at Nerv. As such, she's excused from school."

Asuka sticks her tongue out at me. I hold back my urge to curse her out then walk to the showers.

Today's just isn't my day.

* * *

Can't believe I had to go back to school after all that! Almost getting killed by Asuka's stubbornness should've earned me the rest of the day off. But nooooo, I got stuck with class work while the redhead goes home early! That's complete bull!

I shake my head while making my way to the apartment front door. I can't help but become even more frustrated when thinking about today's unfortunate events. What's with today's Angel?! That creature's ability is extremely annoying! I can't kill either of them unless I crush their cores simultaneously. Shit, it's like that thing was designed for the soul purpose of Asuka and I working together! Also, the Angel was sure in a hurry to get here! Barely a day passed since Asuka and I killed the last one. Seriously, what the hell?!

Opening the front door, I'm met with a shocking sight. There's boxes spread lazily around the hallway, like whoever put them there expected someone else to move them.

Right. Asuka's supposed to move in here.

 **. . .**

How did I forget that?!

Upon closer inspection, I see most of the boxes are littered around my room's door. Pushing the boxes aside, I slide open the door to look inside.

THAT BITCH! ! !

She moved all **my** stuff out of **my** room and replaced it with her crap!

Taking a moment to breathe in deeply, I manage to calm myself down. I then enter my room, grab a box, then threw it out the damn door! I grab another box and proceed to do the same thing. I do this for about a minute or two until I hear someone gasp.

"What are you doing?!" asks Asuka.

I turn around to see her. The girl's wearing a yellow blouse and short shorts. A towel hangs over her shoulders. Probably just got out of the shower.

I give her a blank stare then drop the box I was carrying. Not caring if there was anything valuable in there.

"What does it look like?" I ask, "I'm taking my room back!"

"So what?! You just decided to carelessly throw my things around? ! ? !"

"Well maybe that'll teach you not to move your things into someone else's room," I tell her while giving my best glare.

Asuka dons a confident smile while crossing her arms. "Oh, didn't Misato tell you? This isn't you room anymore. Since I'm moving in, she obviously decided that you're moving out."

"Like I believe that for a second!"

"Face facts! You've been replaced!"

"You conceited bit-"

We continue our little back and forth for about. . .actually, I don't know how long we were arguing. Time seemed to lose all meaning while we were throwing insults at each other. We eventually stop when Misato walks in on us.

"Seriously, I can't leave you two alone for a second," says Misato.

"Go on Misato! Tell him he's moving out!" says Asuka as she gives me a smug look. I just roll my eyes.

Misato chuckles. "No. He's not moving out Asuka. You two will be living together."

I knew this was gonna happen. I just hoped against all hope that Misato wouldn't confirm it.

Asuka's jaw drop. "What?! You want me to live with this idiot?!"

"The Vice Commander thought it would be a good way for you both to learn teamwork," Misato lets out a short laugh. "I'm inclined to agree."

"B-but, this is unacceptable!" Asuka complains. "A boy and a girl shouldn't live under the same roof!" She points a finger towards me. "What if he tries something?!"

Ignoring that last comment, I give my attention to Misato. "How long will we be living together?"

"I'm not sure," she responds. "I just know that Fuyutsuki also wanted you two living together so you both can train to defeat the Angel we encountered."

Asuka and I pause for a moment.

"Training? What kind of training?" asks Asuka while narrowing her eyes.

Misato's lips twist into a smile. "Well, I'm glad you asked."

Moments later, our little group is in the living room. In front of the tv, lying on the floor, are two white mats. Each mat has a series of red transparent buttons displayed on them.

Are those. . .?

"DDR mats?" I inquire.

"Kinda," responds Misato. "These mats are used in games which train people to coordinate their movements. Usually, those games incorporate music to aid in the coordination."

"Yeah, so basically DDR mats."

"Don't be a smart ass." Misato responds, though I can hear the playfulness in her voice.

"How will these things help us kill the Angel?" asks Asuka as she inspects the mats.

"Simple," starts Misato. "As you both know, the Angel can split in two, cloning itself. Destroying one of the cores seem to do nothing, so we came up with a theory. If we can perform a synchronized attack and destroy both Angels' cores at the same time, then they'll die." She points to the mats. "As I mentioned before, those mats are used to get two people to coordinate with each other. You and Michael will need to be able to mimic each other's movements if you want to defeat the Angel, these mats will help with that."

"Makes sense." I say out loud.

"Hmph. Whatever."

"Well, might as well get started," says Misato as she claps her hands. "We only have six days before the Angel finishes regenerating!"

We spend the next thirty minutes training on those DDR mats. Misato insisted (and by that I mean forced) the two of us to dress in similar work out attire. Now we're both matching. Fucking great!

Anyway, the training seemed pretty straight forward at first. Just press the button that lights up at the same time as my partner. But I quickly found out it wasn't that easy. You see, the buttons light up on random parts of the mat; the only pattern is that they light up in rhythm of the music being played. The music's absolute crap by the way, some classical shit. Also, another problem I'm facing is the number of buttons. Even though I compared the object to a DDR mat, it has way more buttons! So much so, I had to use my hands to press buttons while my feet were preoccupied. It reminds me more of twister than DDR now that I think about it. But, despite its difficulty, I was able to come up with a strategy. Each time a button lights up, it stays lit for approximately 1.5 seconds. The small window of time allows me to press the button then scan the rest of the mat. Using the music as my guide, I can prepare myself for the next light. Then, when I press the next button, I just search for the next light. Press, scan, listen, then repeat.

Of course, this strategy only works if **both** partners are using it! Asuka refuses to listen to what I have to fucking say! She insists it's about pressing the buttons as quickly as possible and that I have to keep up! Dumb ass! If it were really that easy, then I would have already thought of that!

Right now, Asuka and I are sitting on the living room floor. Sweat exits both our pores as we attempt to steady our breaths. Wiping the sweat away from my forehead, I glare at Asuka.

"Will you just listen to me for once?!"

She matches my glare with her own. "Why should I?! You're only gonna over complicate things!"

"The hell do you mean by that?!"

"Press the buttons as soon as they light up! It's that simple!"

"If it were that easy then we wouldn't need the music now would we! ! !"

A loud whistle catches both of our attention. We look to the source of the noise and see Misato shaking her head.

"I swear," she starts. "It's like you two enjoy arguing." She looks at the tv screen, displaying me and Asuka's scores. "You're supposed to be working together, not fighting."

"I'm trying," starts Asuka, then she points to me. "But this oaf keeps holding me back!"

"Screw you!" I respond.

"Okay you two, break it up!" Misato says as she gets between us. She grabs the bridge of her nose then starts laughing. "You two need to decide on a strategy. **Any** strategy. We only have six days until the Angel finishes regenerating, and your constant fighting isn't going to get things done. So make a compromise or something."

Asuka and I cross our arms and look away from each other. A scowl is carved into my face, and I have no doubt Asuka's wearing the same expression.

I know I'm right. Asuka's just gonna have to listen to me! Is what I'm doing childish? Maybe. Still doesn't change the fact I'm right!

All of us hear a few knocks at the front door.

"The two of you answer that. I'm gonna get something to drink."

Misato then disappears into the kitchen. I let out a sigh and walk to the front door. Asuka soon follows. We both open the portal and, much to my chagrin, my friends are standing there with the class rep.

Crap!

Of course, they're all surprised and a bit suspicious. Hikari says Asuka and I are being indecent by living together (that Asuka agrees with). Toji and Kensuke make a joke about me cheating on Rei. And. . .Rei? Why is she here? Anyway, she's just staring at me questioningly. Asuka and I then explain ourselves which gets everyone to calm down. To satisfy their curiosity, we invite them inside. Well. . .Asuka invited Hikari. Toji and Kensuke just sorta let themselves in. The only one left outside is Rei.

I scratch the back of my head. "Why are you all the way over here?"

She momentarily look to the books she's carrying then back to me. "You did not walk home with me so I could aid in your studies. I thought you may have forgotten, so I came here to remind you."

Huh. Guess I just sorta stormed off when school was over.

"Sorry about that," I apologize. "Didn't mean to ditch you. I just wanted to get home as soon as possible."

She gives an understanding nod and turns to leave.

"Hey!" I call out to her. She stops and gives me a curious look. "You can stay you know. After all, you came all this way."

Her neutral look turns to uncertainty. I smile at her then gesture for her to come in. She stares at me, then walks through the door slowly.

Asuka and I eventually return to our training, only this time, we have an audience. Toji and Kensuke would laugh at our antics, while Hikari provided words of encouragement to Asuka. Rei just silently observed our little routine. Me and the redhead just couldn't cooperate, no matter how hard we tried. We're both incompatible.

I collapse to the ground, mentally and physically exhausted. "Misato, there has to be another way! I can't work with her!"

The woman in question takes a sip of beer then shakes her head. "This is the only way Michael, whether you like it or not."

Asuka scoffs, obviously not liking the idea any more than me. I let out a groan as I come up with another suggestion.

"Then have Rei work with me."

"Unit-00's being repaired." Misato reminds me.

"I already know that! Just reconfigure Unit-02 so Rei can pilot it."

Asuka, who was silently listening to my rant, suddenly gets into a standing position. Her eyes briefly reveal a moment of rage before becoming cold.

"No one pilots Unit-02 except me," she says in a dangerously calm voice. "Besides," a smirk finds its way onto her face. "If she wants to pilot my Eva, she'll need to do better than me on this stupid thing," she says while pointing at the white mat. "And anyone would be terrible with you as a partner."

I look to Misato and she has a thoughtful expression on her face. That look morphs into a playful grin. "I don't know, Michael might have a point." She turns to Rei then points to the DDR mat Asuka was standing on. "Rei, go give it a try."

The blue haired girl nods then walks to Asuka. The redhead scoffs and allows Rei to stand on the white mat. Rei give me a look, signaling she's ready to start. I nod and prepare for the music to play. The music begins as the buttons light up. Immediately, I press the lit up buttons, using the music as my guide. In the corner of my eye, I spot Rei mimicking my movements. I knew she and I would work well together, but damn, it's like looking in a mirror. Like she can read my mind or something.

The music's tempo increases, causing the mat to light up even faster. I almost trip over my own limbs trying to keep up with the sudden speed. Rei's movements is still synchronized with mine, but we're starting miss more lights. Our movements are too slow, but that can be worked on. A loud huff breaks my concentration as someone walks out of the living room. The person makes sure to stomp loudly while leaving. This gets me to stop what I'm doing and look up from my mat. Asuka's missing.

Everyone's staring in the direction Asuka stormed off to.

"Oh man, she looks pissed," says Toji.

Hikari tears her gaze away from where Asuka went and glares at me. Aw crap.

"Go apologize, now!"

I shrink back a bit. "W-Why?"

She looks like she's holding back her urge to yell. "Why?! Because you made her cry! You need to take responsibility!"

I really don't want to piss Hikari off even further, but-

"Don't see why I need to apologize. The only thing I did was state facts." I cross my arms and display an annoyed look. "Besides, I don't care about Asuka."

Hikari looks like she's gonna explode but stops herself. She has a curious look on her face. Actually, everyone's got that same look. What's gotten into them?

Turning in the direction of their gaze, I see Rei staring at me. She's giving me a weird expression, like she's expecting me to do something. But, upon closer inspection, it looks like she's. . .scolding me?

"Rei," I say hesitantly, "Are you okay?"

Slowly, she looks in the direction Asuka ran off to then back to me. Putting two and two together, my jaw nearly hits the floor.

"You can't be serious?" She really wants **me** to apologize?!

Rei hardens her look, and let me tell you, that was scary. In all my time knowing her, I've never seen so much as a frown on her face. To see her give such a stern look, caught me off guard. Those crimson red eyes, seemingly piercing into my very soul, sends chills down my spine.

Unable to look her in the eye, I turn away slightly. Eventually, I let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine, I'll go."

I get to my feet and walk to the kitchen, the place Asuka ran off to. As I make my way there, I hear Toji making a whipping noise. I flip him off before continuing on my destination. Why the hell should I apologize? Asuka's the one being difficult! If you don't like the person you're working with, simply work with someone else. Is there anything wrong with that? Also, I call bullshit on what Hikari said. There's no way Asuka ran off crying. The redhead isn't the kind of person to do that. She's just probably sulking in a corner over how well Rei and I worked together.

When I enter the kitchen, I see the fridge's door open. Asuka's sticking her head in it, probably looking for something to eat. I cross my arms as a scowl paints my face. How am I gonna go about this? My thoughts stop when I hear a whimpering noise; it's faint, but it's definitely there. What the. . .is that coming from Asuka? Is she crying? But, there's no way that's happening. Maybe I'm just hearing things.

 **. . .**

Dammit!

"H-Hey. . .I. . .I didn't mean to-"

Asuka pulls her head out of the fridge. She grabs some canned soda from the fridge and gives me an annoyed look.

"What do you want?"

I'm taken aback. If she was crying, there's no evidence of it.

Asuka rolls her eyes then slams the fridge's door, storming off to the balcony. I look back to the living room and see everyone staring at me. They all gesture for me to follow Asuka, which gets me to roll my eyes. I follow Asuka to the balcony and see her looking over the city. I stop a few feet away from her and take a deep breath.

"Don't even bother," she says before I could speak. " *Sigh* Listen, I don't like you. Ever since we first spoke to each other, you've been nothing but rude me. We barely know each other, yet somehow you already made up your mind about me. It honestly makes me sick, having to work with someone like that."

She turns to me, a serious look painted on her face. "But, as much as I hate to admit it, we need to work together. I can't let anyone else pilot my Eva," her body tenses slightly. "I won't."

I take a moment to think about what I'm gonna say. "I admit I haven't been the most. . .pleasant person to be around. It's like the Vice Commander said, I seem more interested in antagonizing you than anything else. *Sigh* Must've made it real difficult for you work with me."

I look Asuka in the eyes. "How about this, if you try to listen to what I have to say, then I'll try to be a bit. . . 'nicer'."

"Whatever." Asuka then takes a sip of the drink she brought outside. "I can't promise anything. But, I still think you're over complicating things."

"How in the world am I doing that?"

She rolls her eyes. "Look, this isn't one of those dance games you play at the arcade. The mats we're using have way more buttons and require us to use our hands as well as our feet. Following the music is a good way to predict when a button will light up, but relying on it too much will slow you down. Tell me, what usually happens when the tempo picks up?"

I'm caught off guard by her question. Blinking a few times, I think about my time on the DDR mats. "I usually start tripping over my own limbs, missing a few buttons in the process."

"Exactly," she says while lifting her right index finger. "You body's gotten so use to the original tempo that when it picks up, you have trouble adjusting. That's why the better option is to scan the board and press whatever lights up as quickly as possible."

She. . .actually has a point. My strategy relies too heavily on things remaining the same, while Asuka's strategy is more adaptive. Though, her plan isn't perfect. Too much brute force and not enough order. Order is needed for cooperation. "You do bring up a few good points. But. . ."

We continue our conversation for about thirty minutes. Eventually, we form a plan of attack and go back to training. This time, we did a whole lot better than before we had our conversation. Sure, we were far from perfect, but we're improving. Still, that didn't stop us from throwing insults at each other. It was childish and petty. But I guess that's how we are with each other.

* * *

Five days has passed. They were the most exhausting days of my life. Every morning, Asuka and I would practically do everything together. We'd brush our teeth together, eat together, and even sleep together. You heard that right, SLEEP TOGETHER! ! ! Granted, we both were sleeping on a mattress in the living room, well within Misato's line of sight. Still, that was awkward for the both of us. Though, at least something good came out of that. Our movements were completely synchronized. The DDR mats at Misato's place was practically child's play. Every time Asuka and I got on those things, we'd get a perfect score. Of course, the side effect of such training was that we mimicked each other's movements without noticing. There were so many times we'd mirror each other's body language or speak simultaneously. It's honestly kinda freaky.

You'd think after all we've been through, we would be nicer to each other. Nope, seems like the opposite happened. Being in such close proximity with the girl only increased my irritation with her. Sure, we never argued during our training; after all, that would be counterproductive. But we made sure to throw rather colorful insults at each other outside of training. Though, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy making fun of the redhead.

Right now, I'm resting my head on my desk at school. The class is having its usual fifteen minute break, so Rei and I started our studies. But lately, I've become too tired to even bother lifting a finger.

"Are you feeling well Hart?" asks Rei.

I mumble some incoherent words before looking at Rei. "Yeah, just tired. Asuka made me stay up all night training."

Rei gives and understanding nod. "We may continue our studies tomorrow, if you wish."

I let out a yawn. "No, I'm good. Come on, let's continue. Now, where were we?" I pick up my pencil and begin working on the writing "homework" Rei provided. Can't imagine how Rei comes up with something for me to work on everyday. As tiring as it is working on these handouts, I can only imagine how difficult it must be to create them everyday.

 **. . .**

Gotta find a way to repay her.

Rei goes silent for a moment. Eventually, she digs into her bag, pulls out a book, then hands it to me. I grab the book and get a good look at it. The book is thicker than the ones Rei usually gives me to read everyday. The cover is glossy, and has a picture of a man sitting on a grassy hill. The man is staring at the night sky, but the sky itself looks strange. Instead of stars, there are spheres which held images inside them. Doesn't look like a children's book.

"What's this for?" I ask Rei.

"For reading," she simply states.

I give her a deadpan expression. Hate how she takes things so literally. "What I mean is, why are you giving me this book? It's longer than the ones I usually read."

"Your ability to write and read has increased substantially," she explains. "Therefore, it makes sense to give you something more challenging to read."

Did I really improve that much? I mean, Rei's only been tutoring me for about two weeks! No human can understand a language in that short amount of time! Though, I did notice that reading and writing has become easier. How's that even possible? Guess I really shouldn't question it. All that matters is I'm learning, and I should be grateful for that.

"The book is a short story, you should be able to finish it within a few weeks. As usual, you will write a summary of the story and give a critical review," explains Rei. "You may begin reading after you have finished your upcoming mission."

I look at her then back to the book. It looks like it might be a fun read. A nice change from reading simple stories.

"Umm. . .Rei?"

"Yes?"

"Erm," I start scratching the back of my head. How do I phrase this. "I. . .I never thanked for you listening to me about. . .well you know." She nods. "It must've been real awkward for you, watching me cry like an idiot. A-Anyway, thanks for, you know, helping me in general."

Rei gives me an uncertain look, then displays a small smile. I respond with a smile of my own, albeit, a nervous one. Eventually, class starts. The rest of the day was uneventful.

Right now, it's around seven in the afternoon. I'm back at Misato's apartment, sitting on the mattress in the living room, playing a game on my handheld console. You know, I never really bothered trying to figure out the name of this product. It kinda looks like a PSP only thinner. I tried reading the cover but I'm unfamiliar with the letters. Probably should ask Misato about it later.

I hear a door open and in the corner of my eye, witness Asuka walking of the bathroom, obviously finished with her shower. She's already dressed in the clothes she usually sleeps in.

"Has Misato come home yet?" asks the redhead.

"No, she won't be coming home for a while," I inform her. "Has to work late."

She gives and understanding nod, then smirks.

"Guess that means we're all alone, right Michael?" Asuka says in a flirtatious voice.

I roll my eyes. I know what she's doing. We've long since gotten use to each other's insults, so for the past few days she began flirting with me. Its her way of trying to mess with me. But she should know by know that her tricks don't work on me. I continue giving my full attention to my game. She hates it when I ignore her.

Asuka lets out a frustrated huff as she walks over to the mattress I'm sitting on. She grabs her pillow and covers, then walks to Misato's room. She slides open the door, walks in, then closes the portal. Guess we won't be sleeping together tonight, not that I'm complaining. Suddenly, Asuka opens the door and glares at me.

"Now listen here Fourth Child! This is the impenetrable wall of Jericho!" she says, obviously meaning the flimsy door. "Come across this border and you'll be sorry!"

"Fuck off," I tell her casually. "Also, Jericho's walls weren't impenetrable. They were about as fragile as that door you're hiding behind."

"Just stay of my room!" she yells as she slams the door. I resist the urge to point out that she's in Misato's room and not hers. Eventually, I get tired and rest on the mattress.

Later that night, probably around ten, something woke me up. Turning my head slightly, I spot Asuka exiting Misato's room. Seeing nothing to worry about, I fall back to sleep. What felt like minutes later, something crashes onto the mattress. The sudden shock wakes me up, pissing me off. Getting jolted awake will do that to a person. I turn to whatever woke me up, hoping it wasn't Pen Pen dry humping a pillow. . .again. My rage tempers as I see Asuka sleeping next to me. Huh. She must've been sleep walking. I saw her do that once during our training, thought it was an isolated incident. Letting out a frustrated sigh, I turn away from her and attempt to get comfortable. Was really hoping I'd get to sleep alone.

"Mama," I hear a fragile voice call out.

I turn back around in surprise. Was that Asuka, or am I hearing things?

"Mama," repeats the sleeping girl. Tears are rolling down her face. Her body's shaking, like she's been left out in the cold, and I can hear her sobbing slightly. Asuka's crying. She's actually crying. The same person who I've been constantly arguing with, the same person who I assumed was too strong, too prideful, to let a tear stain her face; this same fiery redhead, is now crying for her mother. There are so many emotions swirling around inside me at the sight of her. Confusion, concern, uneasiness. . .anger, disgust, annoyance.

I grab my pillow and covers then get off the mattress. I head to my room, attempting to get away from Asuka's crying. I don't want to hear that. I don't need to hear that.

When I open the door, I groan at my own forgetfulness. Asuka's stuff is still in there. Not feeling like moving them around, I go to the room across from this one. Think it might've been a storage room. Well, it's where I'm sleeping now. As I set my pillow on the cold wooden floor, I can't help but think about Asuka. She really pisses me off. How pathetic must you be to cry for your mother? I hate it when people do that.

I had hard time sleeping that night.

* * *

I breathe in the LCL as I mentally practice for the upcoming battle. That's the thing that never changes. Even though I've gotten better at hiding it, I'm always nervous before a battle. There's always a possibility that I won't come back when an Angel's involved. Sure, there are moments when I feel like nothing could go wrong. But that usually happens when the adrenaline kicks in. Looking at the holographic screen displaying Asuka's face, I don't see the same trepidation which exists inside me. She's either hiding it like I am, or is actually not worried about the upcoming battle.

"Are the both of you ready?" asks Misato over the radio.

"Yes!" responds Asuka and I.

"Good. Remember, you both will be on limited power. So take out the Angel as quickly as possible."

It was agreed awhile ago that the Evangelions were to fight without the umbilical cables. It would heighten me and Asuka's mobility so we could perform synchronized movements. Of course, that meant we had to kill the Angel (technically Angels) in under a minute. So as Misato said, we need to take the creature out as quickly as possible. In other words, don't hold back.

Oh how I pity the people who'll clean up our mess.

"Right," Asuka and I respond to Misato.

"You ready for this Fourth Child?" asks Asuka, donning a confident look. For some reason, I'm no longer nervous.

"Yeah," I respond, revealing a smirk. "Just don't get in my way."

"Ha! I should be telling you that!" she responds, still smiling.

"Prepare for launch!" Misato tells her subordinates.

Seconds later, Asuka and I are launched to the surface, just in time to see the Angel fully regenerated. A building opens up, revealing a series of weapons. We both pick a Sonic Glaive and toss them at the Angel. The glaives pierce the creature, forcing it to split in two.

Forty-five seconds.

Asuka's Eva grabs a gun which requires two hands to use. It shoots out a powerful stream of yellow energy, knocking down the grey Angel. The other creature, attempts to strike Asuka, but I back her up with a pistol, distracting the Angel. Both creatures get tired of our antics and fire quick successive blasts of energy. With ease, we dodge every single shot and hide behind a few buildings. We both grab a Pallet rifle and fire at the Angels, kicking up dust, and blinding them.

Twenty seconds left.

Without speaking to each other, we charged the creatures at the same time. Mirroring each other's movements, we deliver a powerful punch followed by a kick, creating a shock wave of power. The two creatures get blown away and are forced to fuse back together. The now single creature, shoots another beam of energy at Asuka and I. But like many times before, we easily evade the attack.

Fifteen seconds left.

"This is it!" I say, a grin painting my face.

"Let's finish this!" responds Asuka.

We both leap into the air, preparing to deliver the final blow. We let out a battle cry as our twin flying kicks it its mark. The core.

Our momentum sends us and the creature flying towards Mt. Futago. The Angel's core finally shatters, causing the creature to explode. The force of the explosion rattles the inside of my entry plug. I have to grab the controls just so I'm not sent flying around the capsule.

When the entry plug stops shaking, I take a look at the display screen. It's off. Right, must have ran out of power. Really hope the Angel's dead. Tentatively, I open my entry plug and take a peek outside. Both my Eva and Unit-02 are lying in a huge crater. My Eva's lying on its stomach, and Unit-02's lying face first on my robot's ass. I resist the urge to laugh. Asuka's not gonna be happy about that.

Taking a look around, I see that the city pretty much intact. Sure, a few building were destroyed, but it's nothing compared to the damage the fifth Angel did.

Riiing! Riiing!

Huh? Is that. . .is that a phone?

I search for the source of the noise and eventually find a home phone. It's attached near the entrance of the entry plug. Why have I never noticed that?

Picking up the phone, I put it near my ear.

"Hello?"

My eardrum was nearly blown out from the shouting on the other end of the line.

"You idiot! Look at what you did to my Unit-02! ! !"

"The hell are you talking about?" I ask Asuka.

"You messed up the damn timing! Forcing my Eva into this. . .undignified position! ! !"

I start laughing up a storm. I knew she'd be pissed but it honestly isn't that big a deal. I mean, we just took down an Angel in under a minute, yet she's worried about the position of her Eva.

"Stop laughing! It's not funny! ! !" Asuka yells/whines over the phone.

I wipe a tear away. "You can yell at me all you want, but you're honestly missing the big picture. Seriously, are you gonna acknowledge how AWESOME that fight was? ! ? !"

Asuka just huffs then hangs up. I continue laughing my ass off.

* * *

Author's Notes: Finally, I'm done with this chapter. Sorry it took so long, school made it hard for me to have any free time. So, was the quality of this chapter worth the wait. . .probably not. Still, I'm glad I got this out. Even though I won't have as much time to work on this story, I'll still continue writing it. Hopefully, you enjoyed this chapter. Have a good day. Oh also, **Thomas Drovin** got the name of last chapter's band correct, but the song's name is incorrect.

Chapter 8 hint: Think of the name of Michael Jackson's most famous dance, then rearrange the words. That's how you'll find the name of the band. The song name is within the title of this chapter. I just added a few words and it should be easy to figure out.

Next chapter should come out in around a month.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Down We Go

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.**

My friends are assholes! Nothing can convince me otherwise! A few weeks has passed since the last Angel appeared. During that time, it was announced my class would be taking a trip to a place called Okinawa. The place must be something, because the entire class was excited to go there. I, on the other hand, didn't really care for the trip. I always prefer staying in one place; moving around too often only serves to annoy me. So, I was unfazed when Nerv told me and the rest of the pilots we weren't allowed to go on the class trip. Nerv's call makes sense. We need to stay behind in case an Angel decides to attack Tokyo-3.

Now what does all that have to do with my friends being assholes? Simple. They wouldn't shut up about the damn trip! They kept bragging about how much fun they were gonna have at Okinawa every single minute of the day! They just wouldn't stop reminding me that they're going and I'm fucking not! So excuse me for being a little pissed! They talked about the trip so much that a small part of me actually became jealous. Like what the actual hell?! How does that even work?! When the day finally came for the class to leave, Toji and Kensuke said nothing. They just kept giving me this smug look which said "You wish you were us, don't ya"?

I'm gonna kill them when they get back.

Currently, it's one in the afternoon. Asuka, Rei and I are inside one of Nerv's many indoor pools. Asuka and Rei are swimming while I'm seated a few feet away from the pool in a lawn chair, reading a book. If you're wondering, we're here due to Asuka's insistence. The redhead wasn't too happy she couldn't go to Okinawa, so she demanded Misato to do something about it. Nerv's indoor pools was the only solution Asuka found satisfactory. But, since Misato wanted all the pilots in one place, Rei and I were dragged here. Normally, I wouldn't put up much resistance against swimming, but I can't swim with other people. It's just too weird.

Taking my attention away from my thoughts, I return to reading. It has become a whole lot easier due to Rei's tutoring. Still, I'm having trouble finishing this book she gave me. I should've been done by now. Not that I'm in a rush or anything. After all, this is a good read.

"Hey Michael," says a brash voice.

Time to switch to default response, which is none.

". . ."

"Hmph! Can you stop doing that?" asks Asuka, voice laced with irritation. "It's annoying."

I decide to mess with her. "Stop doing what?"

"You know what I'm talking about!" she nearly yells. "Every time I speak you pretend I'm not here!"

"Oh, is that all?"

The redhead snatches the book away from me and gives a glare which could melt steel. I respond by staring blankly at the pool. I didn't expect her to get this close. Asuka's swimsuit is less conservative compared to Rei's. It's extremely revealing! Hopefully, I can keep up my poker face.

"Why do you insist on being so rude?!"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Because it's funny."

Asuka throws the book and I catch it, despite not looking in the redhead's direction. Feeling satisfied with myself, I go back to reading.

"Anyway," starts Asuka. "Why are you here reading instead of swimming and having fun? Even the First Child seems to be enjoying herself."

As if to confirm Asuka's statement, Rei begins swimming laps around the pool.

I let out a sigh. "One, because this is a really good book. Two, it's helping me study kanji."

"Hmm? You're having trouble with kanji?"

"Yeah," I say as I glance at her. Big mistake! I knew Asuka was standing close to me, but not this close! I can smell the chlorine coming off her body. That's too damn close! My eyes seem to move on their own when looking at Asuka. They linger at a few places for too damn long! I try tearing my gaze away from her, but my eyes refuse to listen. It's like they want to remember everything about her. Like how her wet swimsuit clings to her body. How blue her eyes are, or how her red hair seems to shine, or how surprisingly large her boo- NO! DOWN BOY! ! ! I cross my legs to hide my shame. Hopefully she hadn't noticed.

"Well Michael, you like what you see?" she says in a flirtatious manner.

DAMMIT SHE NOTICED! ! !

She gets even closer to me while fondling her breasts. I can feel her breath on my skin. Stupid hormones!

"It's okay if you like to stare," she says whilst smirking.

Pretty sure my skin can't turn red, but it tried its hardest. My heart feels like it's slamming itself against my chest, and my body feels like it's been put in a sauna! I look away from Asuka, an attempt to hide my embarrassment.

"Shouldn't you be studying instead fucking around?" I say, desperate to change the subject.

A bit put off by my cursing, she backs off. Not that it matters, she knows she won that round. "*Sigh* I don't need to study. I've already graduated from college, so school's nothing more than kids stuff."

I nearly jump out of my seat. "What?! You went to college?!"

Asuka, apparently happy she got my attention again, reveals a toothy grin. "Of course I went to college! Honestly Fourth Child, you shouldn't be surprised. After all, I am the best at everything."

I give a deadpan expression. "If you really went to college, then why are your grades so terrible?"

She waves her hand dismissively. "It's only because I have trouble reading the language here."

Makes sense.

"So. . .you too." Asuka may be prideful, but she doesn't seem like the kind of person to lie. At least, not lie about her own successes. If she really did graduate from college, then that's fucking impressive. "Well, guess you're really something if you went to college."

She pauses for a moment, as if she didn't expect me to say that. "Well now you're just stating the obvious. Still, I'm glad you finally realized how great I am."

I roll my eyes. "Don't get a big head. You're still doing terrible in class, so do something about that."

She lets out a snort and walks back to the pool. Letting out a long sigh, I collapse in my seat. I'm glad **that's** finally over. Hope things will never get that awkward ever again. Though, our conversation went better than usual. Instead of tearing at each other's throats, we spoke like normal people. Well. . .as normal as the two of us could get. Hell, I'd go as far as to say our conversation was somewhat pleasant; minus the awkward moment. Guess that tends to happen when I dial down the insults. I may not like Asuka, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try to get along with her. I'm gonna be spending a lot of time with the redhead, so staying on her good side will do me some good.

"Hey Michael, look over here!" I hear Asuka say playfully.

I look over to the pool to see her waving at me while wearing some kind of oxygen tank.

Right, she wanted to go scuba diving at Okinawa. Guess to make up for not going she's gonna do it here.

"Watch this!" She then plunges into the water, back first.

I let out a chuckle at this action. Can't believe she was excited to show me that! The girl always brags about how tough and mature she is. But it's moments like these which serve to remind me she's just a kid, like me. Just wish she would tone down her brash attitude.

I eventually go back to reading.

* * *

Asuka, Rei, and I were called to the Command Center which I found odd. There was no mention of an Angel being spotted in the city, so being called here makes little sense. Maybe we're being scheduled for a sync test? No, we would've been informed hours beforehand if that were the case. Maybe it's a surprise sync test? Would Ritsuko even do a thing like that? These thoughts and so many more were running through my mind while standing in this semi-lit room. I'm slightly irritated no one's showed up yet. They called us, so they should be here!

Finally, the silence of the room was broken by sounds of footsteps. Finding the source of the noise, I spot a tired looking Ritsuko along with her assistant (think her name's Maya) walking in our direction.

"About time you guys showed up!" says Asuka.

"You were the ones who called **us** , so what took ya'll so long?" I ask.

Ritsuko lets out a weary sigh. "Doesn't matter. What matters is we're here now. Maya, the projector."

"Yes ma'am," says the brunette as she points a remote to the giant screen in the room.

The screen comes to life as it displays several images. There's images of an ocean, a volcano, and pictures of magma (don't know how they got a camera to survive being in a volcano). What catches my attention is an image of a strange creature living within the magma. The creature has a large head, a small body, and skinny limbs. The creature's eyes are wide open, though something tells me it's not fully conscious. The thing's in a fetal position and a cocoon-like object seems to encompass its form. In short, the thing looks like a damn embryo! A human one in fact!

"Is. . .is that an Angel?" I ask, jaw dropped slightly.

"Correct," Ritsuko says calmly. "More accurately, it's an Angel in the embryonic stage."

"This Angel was found inside the crater of Mount Asama, an active volcano." Maya explains.

I look back at the image of the Angel, awe painted on my face. How can something survive being in a volcano?

"We're under special orders to retrieve the creature while it's still in its current state," Maya continues.

"Which brings us to your mission," starts Ritsuko. "Two of you will be sent to Mount Asama. One of you will be lowered into the volcano while the other will be left on standby. The mission is to contain then bring the Angel back to the surface and, if the need should arise, destroy it if it hatches."

So they want us to go down the mouth of a volcano to capture something we should be killing. What kind of logic is that?!

"The designated pilot will be-"

Don't pick me! Don't pick me! Don't pick me!

"Oh, I want to go diving, let me do it!" Asuka cuts in, weirdly excited about diving into magma. Though, I'm glad she jumped in. It saves me the "pleasure" of diving into a literal lake of fire.

"Alright, then Michael you'll be put on standby," Ritsuko explains.

"What am I to do?" asks Rei.

It was Maya who spoke this time. "The equipment we'll be using isn't compatible with Unit-00. As such, you will remain here on standby."

"Understood."

"Awww, Rei doesn't get to have fun," Asuka mocks Rei, though the blue haired girl just ignores her, much to Asuka's disappointment.

Ritsuko dismisses Rei and I so we can get into our plugsuits. The doctor asks Asuka to stay behind so she can be outfitted with a new plugsuit.

After Rei and I got suited up, we just waited for Asuka in the Eva cages. When there, I couldn't help but catch a glimpse of Unit-02. It looks ridiculous to say the least. The Eva's red armor is obscured by a white, bulky, "suit". A large helmet rests on the Eva's head and two robotic pincers replace its human-like hands. The suit looks like it would limit the Eva's movements by a lot. Overall, it looked like Unit-02 was wearing a spacesuit.

A sudden scream draws my attention away from the Eva.

"There's no way I'm going out wearing this thing!" yells Asuka.

Curious, I walk towards the yelling to see what's going on, Rei follows. When I locate the source of the noise, which is near the entrance, I have to hold back my laughter at the sight of Asuka. Her plugsuit looks like water was pumped into it. Any movement Asuka made would cause the suit to jiggle as if it were made of jello. The suit must've also had some weight to it, for Asuka didn't walk so much as waddle around the entrance. The pilot of Unit-02 now resembles an over-sized cherry.

Ritsuko took off her reading glasses and began rubbing the bridge of her nose. "The suit is to help you deal with the conditions that come with diving into a volcano. The way it looks doesn't matter just as long as it serves its function."

"I don't care!" whines Asuka. "I can't be seen in this thing!"

I can't help but to poke fun at her. "Hey Asuka, did you gain weight? If so, it's a good look for you."

I swore she turned pale at the sight of me. "S-Shut up!" She then catches sight of Unit-02. This causes her to become even louder. "What did you do to my Eva?!"

Ritsuko lets out a sigh and begins shaking her head. I know how difficult it can be to deal with Asuka, so I can relate. I almost feel bad for Ritsuko. Almost.

"That armor serves to protect Unit-02 from extreme pressures," explains the doctor. "Like your suit, it's necessary for this mission."

Asuka closes her eyes and lets out a huff. "I won't be seen wearing this suit, and I won't have Unit-02 undergo this humiliation!" She point a finger to me. "This kind of thing is better suited for this idiot!"

No you don't. "You're not dumping this crap on me!"

Just as she's about to respond a familiar voice cuts in.

"You won't be piloting Asuka? But I was looking forward towards your performance."

Asuka, immediately recognizing the voice, waddles towards a wall to hide behind. When hidden, she takes a peek and spots Kaji leaning on the railing of a catwalk. She audibly whines, saying she won't come out as long as Kaji's there. Dr. Akagi's visibly irritated at Asuka's lack of cooperation.

"Come on Asuka," I say, trying to coax her out of hiding. "You *pffft* don't look that bad. You *pffft* look great. Just come out and *pffft* waddle into Unit-2!" I then start laughing at the absurdity of this situation.

Hey, I said I was trying!

Ritsuko glares at me. "You're not helping."

I shrug in response.

Rei looks between Asuka, Ritsuko and I. She then raises her hand as if we were still in school. "If Soryu is unable to pilot, then I would like to volunteer to pilot in her-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the over-sized cherry waddles over (with surprising speed mind you) and slaps Rei's hand out of the air.

"You don't get to pilot my Eva!" yells Asuka. She then turns to Dr. Akagi. "Fine! I'll pilot Unit-02 on this mission!"

The doctor just nods then walks Asuka to the giant robot. I stand there, kinda shocked how quickly Asuka's demeanor changed. Then again, Asuka doesn't like anyone but her piloting Unit-02, which makes me curious.

"Rei, did you really intend on piloting Unit-02, or did you know Asuka would react the way she did?"

"Yes," is all she says.

I stare at her for a moment before silently laughing.

* * *

Standing near the edge of the volcano's mouth gives me cause for concern. Despite the lava being so deep into the structure, I can still feel the extreme heat. But apparently that's the least of my problems. There are U.N. jets flying around the area, and there's a slight possibility of them blowing us all to kingdom come if it even smells like this mission will fail. So there's a lot of pressure on Asuka not screwing up. Though, the redhead (as usual) is not the slightest bit worried about the current situation. Sure she was pissed when she learned of the U.N.'s intentions, but she immediately after brushed off their threat, radiating an air of confidence. Say what you will about the redhead, but she knows how to keep calm under pressure.

Scanning the area, I see a crane-like structure above the mouth of the volcano. Hanging from the structure, with several cables attached to it, is Unit-02. The structure shoots a laser into the lava to locate the Angel. When the creature's located, the structure moves Unit-02 over the volcano to prepare it for the dive.

"Okay Asuka, you ready?" asks Misato over the radio.

"Ready when you are," responds Unit-02's pilot.

"Alright. Lowering Unit-02."

The crane-like structure begins slowly lowering Unit-02 into the volcano.

"Hey Michael! Check this out!" Asuka's Eva moves its stubby looking legs like it was preparing to do a split. "A perfect scissors dive!"

I roll my eyes as Unit-02 becomes fully submerged in lava. "Pretty sure that's not a real thing."

"Sure it is," says the redhead. "It's not my fault you're uncultured."

I smile at her insult. I can recognize her sarcasm. Still, can't let her get away with that. "Oh! You got jokes you over-sized cherry?"

"What did you call me?!"

Our verbal assault goes on for a few rounds until Misato eventually put a stop to it. We spend the next fifteen minutes in silence. The only sounds come from either someone occasionally reporting Unit-02's depth or the bubbling of lava. During one point, one of the tech advisers, Maya, reported that Unit-02 is taking on too much pressure. Despite the warning, Misato pressed on with the mission, pushing Unit-02 to its limit. This made me worry slightly, especially since the pressure caused her Eva to lose its Progressive Knife. There's a very real danger that Asuka will die if they continue lowering her Eva beyond its depth capacity. But the redhead insisted she was fine with the potential danger, which mysteriously calmed my nerves.

A few more minutes pass before Asuka decides to speak up.

"*Yawn* I'm bored."

I yawn as well. "Yeah, me too. Kinda inevitable with nothing happening."

"Well, let's chat a bit." I can hear her stretching over the radio.

I raise an eyebrow at that. "Why?"

"Weren't you listening? I'm bored," she deadpans.

"Right. . .what you wanna talk about?"

"I don't know," she pauses for a moment. "Oh! How about that book you read earlier?"

I shrug. "Sure, why not? What you wanna know?"

"What's it about?"

I take a moment to gather my thoughts. "Well, I'm still a bit early into the book, so you won't get the full story." After not hearing a complaint, I decide to tell the basic summary. "The book's called Phantom Ties. It's about a man living in a fantasy world. You know, the kind filled with elves, dragons, etc."

"Oh, it's one of **those** stories." I can imagine her rolling her eyes.

"Will you let me finish," I respond, slightly annoyed. "The main character's name is Itsuki Nakamura. He's a thirty year old man who's basically rich and has a large family. So, he's living the good life. The perfect life." I pause for dramatic effect. "Well it was perfect, until one night, everything changed. One night, Itsuki fell asleep, and when he woke up, he was in a hospital connected to a butch of machines. Turns out, the guy's been in a coma for seven years and the world he thought was reality was actually a dream."

"After some time to get adjusted, he is sent to live with some family members," I continue. "But, things aren't as they seem. Reality starts to warp around him. He starts seeing and hearing things which might not even be there. What makes it worse is that every time he falls asleep, he returns to that fantasy world. Now Itsuki questions which world is a dream and which world is reality."

"Huh. . .that actually sounds kinda interesting," admits Asuka.

"I know right!" I respond happily for some reason. "The story gets progressively more interesting as you continue reading. The guy keeps questioning reality, but there are hints there's something else going on."

It sounds like Asuka's gonna say something but stops when a beeping sound echos in her Eva.

"Hmm? Oh! I see it!" she says.

Looking at Unit-01's display screen, I bring up a digital representation of what Unit-02 sees. Even with the low quality of the digital image, I can make out what Asuka sees. Just like the pictures shown at the Geofront, the Angel looks like an embryo inside an egg.

"Right. Prepare for capture," commands Misato.

"Got it!"

A moment of silence passes as Asuka attempts to capture the Angel. I'm holding my breath, hoping the Angel doesn't wake up in the middle of the mission.

"No problems detected in the electromagnetic cage," Asuka reports. "Target has been captured."

Everyone lets out a collective sigh of relief. It seems everything went off without a hitch. A smile makes its way onto my face as Unit-02 begins its ascent.

"Nice to know you didn't screw up," I tell Asuka.

"Hmph! I'm a professional," she responds. "There's no way I'm going to mess up on such a simple mission."

Just as she said that, the previously dormant Angel starts screaming.

"WAAAAAAAAHHHHH! ! !"

"Shit!" I shout while covering my ears. It eerily sounds similar to a baby's cry. You know, if the baby were a demon.

"What the hell?!" says Asuka in disbelief. "It's hatching!"

"Dammit! What's the cage status?!" I hear Misato ask one of the Nerv employees.

"At this rate, it won't hold!" says a male employee.

"Asuka, abort the capsule and prepare for combat!"

"Right!" Her confident demeanor falters slightly as she realizes something. "Scheiss! I forgot I dropped my Prog. Knife!"

"Shit! Michael, drop Unit-01's Prog. Knife into the volcano," commands Misato. "Asuka, stand ready!"

Letting out a sound of acknowledgment, I pull out the the Eva's knife and aim it in Asuka's direction. Raising the weapon high into the air, and tightening the Eva's grip, I throw the object as hard as I can into the volcano. The weapon might've broke the sound barrier because a shock-wave could be felt as soon as it left my hand. The knife's impact with the lava created a large wave, causing me to step away from the edge.

"Dammit! Hurry up already!" says Asuka in a panicked tone.

"The weapon's on its way! Calm down!" I tell her.

I bring my attention back the the digital screen. Even with the screen's horrible quality, I can tell the Angel has changed form; though, I'm not exactly sure what it changed into. The creature's circling around Unit-02, like it's scanning for signs of aggression. When it sees none, it charges. Unit-02 looks up, probably to see where the Prog. Knife is.

"There it is! Catch it!" I tell her, spotting the weapon.

"Got it!" Asuka commands her Eva to grab the knife just as the Angel's upon her. Once she obtained the weapon, she lets out a feral yell as she swings the knife at her attacker. "What?!"

"What happened?!" I ask. "My view isn't as clear as yours!"

"The knife isn't working!"

"What do you mean it's not working?!"

"I mean the damn thing barely made a scratch on the Angel!"

"Don't tell me," I hear Ritsuko gasp over the radio. "The extreme heat has distended its molecular structure!"

That's not good.

"The hell does that mean?!" I hear Asuka ask in frustration.

"It means the Prog. Knife's useless," I say, also frustrated.

The Angel once again charges at Asuka. This time, it managed to damage her Eva. I'm not sure how long Asuka can last down there. My mind begins racing to come up with a way to hurt the Angel.

"Okay, heat is making that thing hard to kill right?!" I start. "Then we need to find a way to cool it down!"

"Cool it down? Wait. That's it!" says Asuka. "Transfer all the coolant to cable three, now!"

At the sound of her command, the technicians got to work. Afterward, Asuka severed one of her coolant cables and jammed it into the Angel's mouth.

That's brilliant! The coolant will bring the Angel's temperature down! With luck, it'll allow Asuka to kill the creature.

As the Angel began choking on the liquid, the redhead repeatedly stabbed the creature. This time, the knife's able to penetrate the Angel's body.

"Oh no! Asuka's support cable's damaged," I overhear a female technician say.

What?! Dammit!

"Will it hold?" I ask no one in particular. It was Misato who responded.

"I. . .I don't think so."

Hearing this, I decide to ask another question. "Ritsuko. . .Unit-02 only needed that suit to deal with the pressure not the heat, correct?"

Ritsuko pauses for a moment. "Yes, but I don't see- Wait! Do-"

Before she can finish, I command my Eva to jump into the volcano. I bring my A.T. Field to its max power and hope this wouldn't hurt too much. As soon as Unit-01 touched the lava, I was in immediate pain.

"FUUC-mmph! ! !" I try holding back my screams of pain. Shit! It feels like my flesh is peeling off! ! !

The pain fades away as my field stabilizes. I'm slightly shaken up by the ordeal, but I get over it quite quickly. Asuka's in danger, and I need to push on despite the pain. Besides. . .I'm used to the feeling.

There are boosters located on the Unit-01's back. They have a limited amount of fuel, but they should have enough to push me through the magma. With this in mind, I activate the boosters and jet through the molten rock.

My head hurts, and it feels like I'm gonna puke. It feels like every cell in my body's being compressed! I need to push through this! I can't lose focus!

Finally, after what seems like forever, I spot Asuka. It's not looking good, her cable's about to snap! The boosters have no more fuel, so I can't descend any faster. Dammit! I command Unit-01 to reach out as far as it can.

The cable snaps.

Just as Asuka beings to fall, I grab her and hang on to the other half of the support cable.

"Alright! Reel us back up!" I command.

As I said this, Asuka and I start our ascension back to the surface.

I take a few seconds to catch my breath. Out of all the things I've done since becoming an Eva pilot, jumping into a volcano must've been the most dangerous. As interesting as that was, I hope to never do that again.

"You alright?" I ask Asuka.

"Huh," she responds. There's a moment of silence between us before she chuckles slightly. "You idiot. You just had to show off."

I roll my eyes at her comment as a smirk makes its way onto my face. "Well sorry for. . . **dropping in**."

Asuka groans over the the radio. "Really? A pun?"

I shrug as my smirk turns into a grin. "Hey, it was funny and you know it!"

* * *

About an hour passed after Asuka killed the eighth Angel. For that entire hour, Asuka wouldn't shut up about her killing the Angel by herself. Nevermind the fact she was defenseless until I handed her my knife. Or the fact the Angel was strangely easy to beat once we found its weakness. She still hasn't thanked me by the way, but I digress. The U.N. fucked off after the Angel was taken care of, but not before they issued one last threat to show how they weren't pleased with the mission. Bunch of assholes. Misato, to commemorate our victory, took Asuka and I to a hot spring. Pretty nice of her, even though I just want to go back to the apartment to rest.

Right now, I'm in a cabin near the hot spring. I'm preparing to find somewhere private to undress until there's a knock at the front door. Walking over then opening the door, I see a man wearing a post office uniform. He's holding a large box.

"Hello," greets the man. "Are the people from Nerv here?"

I nod.

"Alright, can you sign this?" he asks as he hands me a clipboard with a piece of paper on it. After signing the thing, he handed me the box then left. The box was actually pretty heavy so I laid it on the ground. Hmm. . .apparently it's from Kaji.

The box suddenly starts moving!

"What the fuck?!"

Cautiously opening the box, Pen Pen pops out. I just stare at the penguin in disbelief.

"Misato!" I call out. "Pen Pen's here!"

Moments later, Pen Pen and I are in one of the hot springs. Misato apparently thought it would be a great way for the bird and I to bond since we rarely interact. I, of course, opposed this idea. I hate being naked in front of anyone, animals included.

Letting out a sigh (and staying far away from Pen Pen as possible) I decide to think over today's events. Something's been bothering me. How can this world exist? I've been avoiding this question for such a long time because every time I thought about it too hard I would get frustrated. This place isn't suppose to be real. It's just a tv show made by some guy to entertain a few people. Yet, despite this fact, here I am. How can any of this be real?! How is this even possible?! First I'm living a normal life, now I'm in a giant robot fighting creatures called Angels alongside a cast of fictional characters! If someone told me this would happen to me one day, I would've outright laughed at them! I would've thought I was dreaming if it wasn't for the fact I never woke up to find myself home.

 **. . .**

Home. I haven't really thought about that in awhile. Dammit!

"Hey Michael," I hear a voice coming from the other side of the wooden fence. "Be a dear and throw me the body shampoo."

I pause for a moment, having been suddenly thrown from my thoughts. Eventually, I roll my eyes at Misato's demand and grab the bottle of shampoo. I then toss it over the wooden fence dividing the men's and women's section.

"Ow! Watch where you're throwing!" says a brash voice.

"Quite whining!" I tell Asuka while silently laughing. I can tell Asuka's pouting, but she doesn't say anything in response.

Still. . .even though nothing about my situation makes sense, I'm not completely miserable. This world is. . .not really that bad.

I close my eyes and attempt to relax, but something else is bothering me.

Shinji.

Despite my attempts to not think too hard about it, I can't help it. Shinji died. He actually died! And here I am, causally living his life without a second thought. He's the one suppose to be sitting here, not me. He's the one who's supposed to live with Misato, not me. Hell, Toji and Kensuke are supposed to be friends with Shinji now that I think about it! Would the guy even be alive if I hadn't appeared? Did I somehow cause his death? Was all the pain he suffered, really my fault?

Shit! Why am I thinking about this now?! I should be happy I helped kill an Angel, not getting depressed. But. . .

"Shinji," I start, feeling like something needs to be said. "I'm. . .I'm sorry."

* * *

Author's Notes: **Me: Nooo, I don't mind. Just decide to slow down when I'm in the middle of a damn story!**

 **Computer: I detect a bit of sarcasm.**

 **Me: No shit!**

 **Computer: You do realize the problem's with the service provider not me, right?**

 **Me: Bullshit! Anything else I use runs just fine while you fuck around on one page for about three minutes!**

 **Computer: Why are you even using Google docs? You wouldn't be having this problem if you just use Microsoft word.**

 **Me: Fuck you! YOU DON'T KNOW MY LIFE! ! !**

 **Computer: I'm your computer! I AM YOUR LIFE! ! !**

*Clears throat* After a bit of. . .technical difficulties, I finally finished this chapter. I will admit, this probably isn't my best work, but I will try to make it up in the next chapter. Also, I loved all the comments I got last chapter. They really motivated me to continue writing. The two which stuck out to me was **justsomerealguy** and **nicbob255** 's comments. The former because of how funny it was (I literally couldn't stop laughing when I first read comment) and the latter because it was really insightful. Also, before I forget, **Thomas Drovin** got the name of the band and song correct last chapter. Good job on that one!

Chapter 9 Hint: The band and the name of the song was in one of the trailers for **Logan**. Also, the song's name should be really easy to figure out. I only removed one word.

Next Chapter should come out in either a month or a few weeks. Later.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Follow Me

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.**

I jerk the controller around to avoid my opponent's constant barrage of attacks. The multiple strikes were quick, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. Besides, now my opponent's wide open. Inputting the correct commands, my character does a flying spinning kick, ranking up a ton of damage against my enemy. Tired of being pushed around, the guy gets back up and rushes me, throwing an uppercut. A smile makes its way onto my face, knowing full well of that fatal error. I block the attack perfectly, stunning my opponent. Seeing my opportunity, I unleash a barrage of kicks and punches, not allowing time for the other guy to breathe. I then unleash my finishing move, causing my character to shoot a ball of destructive energy. The attack hits my opponent creating a massive explosion. The word "K.O." appears on the screen as I silently celebrate my victory.

"It appears I have lost once again," says Rei while staring at the game's screen.

"You're getting better," I encourage her. "The only reason I win most of the time is because I know like, five moves in this game."

I was never good at remembering combos in fighting games. They just seemed needlessly complicated. You input like twelve different commands just to unleash one move which might not even hit the opponent. Ironically, using simple moves seem more effective than using combos.

I put my hands behind my head while smiling. "But if you wanna get better, then you'll need to play this game more. Got it?"

Rei releases her hands from the controls then nods. She then turns to me. "Understood. I will be sure to improve my performance."

I hold back my urge to laugh. "Alright, tone down the seriousness. *Pfft* It's just a game."

Rei's cheeks turn slightly pink as she looks to the floor, hair covering her face. "Understood."

Okay, I can't help but chuckle at that. Does that make be a bad person?

"Alright, let's go back to your place. I hadn't started on my homework and this food ain't gonna cook itself." I lift one of the grocery bags off the floor to emphasize my point.

Rei nods then grabs the other grocery bags. We leave the arcade, making our way to the train station. I can't help but be slightly proud of how far Rei has come. Once a week we would go to the arcade and play a few games. At first, she just seemed bored there. But the more we went to the arcade, the more effort she put into playing the games there. I'd go as far as to say she was actually enjoying herself. Though, I might just be reading too far into things.

When the train arrives at Rei's neighborhood, we begin our walk to her apartment. I can't help but groan at all the homework I'm gonna have to do. But, it does get me thinking. Do I still need Rei to tutor me? I understand so much of the language now I could do the homework on my own. Sure, it'd probably take me longer to do the work without Rei's help, but I could get it done. Guess I answered my own question, so why bother going home with Rei everyday? I mean, it's not like I don't wanna walk with her. Can't really imagine not doing so. Guess I've gotten. . .attached to her. Heh, I must be really dense to only **now** realize I consider her a friend. Though, I'm not sure if Rei feels the same way. Sure she sticks around, but I think it's due to her passive attitude. She doesn't seem able to say no to me.

 **. . .**

Here I go again, overthinking things. When I do that, doubt starts to set in. Should probably stop doing that. I've been told it's a bad habit.

We make it back to Rei's place. When there, we put all the food in their proper places and begin working on the homework. Unlike the first time we've begun studying together, I actually have something to bring to the plate. When Rei doesn't know something, which is rare, I help her out. In other words, we both shared the workload. Recently, I felt the need to help Rei out more. She's constantly taking time out of her day to help me out, and I can't help but feel like I've been a burden on her. She always has something for me to do when we're done with our homework. Something for me to study or look over. Something to always keep me busy. I know that can't be easy for her, and I know I can be hard to work with (even though she won't admit it). So, I have to work harder so her life can be easier.

About an hour passes before Rei and I take a break. I can't help but feel slightly frustrated. Despite all the time Rei spent teaching me to read and write, it still takes me forever to do a simple word problem! That's just pathetic! I need to do better. Perhaps when I'm back at Misato's, I should stay up to study a bit.

"How has your time with Captain Katsuragi fared?"

Rei's question snaps me out of my thoughts.

Asking about my personal life? She hasn't done that in a while.

"It's been fine," I tell her. "The Captain can act like a huge kid sometimes. Especially when she's drinking something with alcohol in it every single day. But, I really can't complain."

"And pilot Soryu?"

I let out a scoff. "She's been a real pain. She always has something to complain or yell at me about. It's like she enjoys pissing me off! For example, there was this one time I was walking around the living room, when suddenly, Asuka jumps out of the bathroom butt ass naked. Apparently, Pen Pen got in the bathroom and Asuka, being the first time she saw that bird, freaked out! I saw the whole thing, being at the wrong place at the wrong time. You know what she did? The bitch tried to beat me up! Like somehow that whole situation was my fault! Lucky for her, she only succeeded at slipping and falling on her ass."

"So your time with the Second has been unpleasant?" asks Rei.

I let out a sigh. "It's. . .complicated." I look out the window, spotting a few stars in the sky. This gets me to smile slightly. It's not often you get to see stars in the city. "There are times when I wanna strangle the girl. She constantly insults me and calls me a pervert for things out of my control, so I can't help but feel that way. But there are times when I can tolerate her brash attitude. Like when she lets me play some of the games she brought over or when she compliments me on my cooking. Well. . .not really complimenting, just saying the food isn't shit."

My smile becomes a bit bigger. "You know when she first moved in, she tried to kick me out of my room? *Chuckles* I didn't take too kindly to that. I got all her stuff out of my room and practically yelled at her. But, after the seventh Angel was killed, I let her have my room. At the time, I reasoned Asuka needed a bigger room because she had a lot of stuff, so it makes sense for her to have the room. But, now that I think about it, I think I gave her the room because I felt she deserved it since she helped kill the Angel. Weird, right?"

Rei doesn't say anything. I'm not looking at her, though I imagine she's just staring at me questioningly. I couldn't blame her for doing so, even I'm not one-hundred percent sure I understood what I just said. Words just seemed to flow out of my mouth and I don't know if they made sense when put together. Eventually, Rei does speak up.

"What are you looking for?"

I glance at the blue haired girl to see she's also staring out the window. Curiosity is painted all over her face which I found both endearing and amusing.

"Stars," I say while bringing my attention back outside. "I'm looking for stars."

Before she could ask, I decide to elaborate. "You don't get to see a lot of stars in a city. Hell, you'd have a hard time seeing stars anywhere close to civilization due the light pollution. Even the suburbs can't escape this fact. Which is why, when I do see a star, I try to figure out if it's really there. I try to find out if that light in the sky is either a plane, a helicopter, or even a satellite reflecting the sun's light. When I can discern it's none of those things, I start to play a little game."

I start laughing. Simply talking about this is bringing up old memories. "I would create a picture out of what little stars I saw. Like a large version of connect the dots. When I was younger, my brother and I would always play that game. We would look out the car's window, or simply look up when we happen to be outside at night, and start connecting the dots. Shane and I would try to create family members, cartoon characters, or monsters from what we saw. We even tried to create constellations out of those little dots in the sky. Of course, we didn't know constellation were made of specific groups of stars at different parts of the year, but that didn't stop us from trying to create those images. It was so much fun."

It really was. For some reason, it was those nights that felt special, even though they consisted of my brother and I playing a stupid game. They just made me feel. . .safe.

Rei pauses for a moment. "Have you ever seen the night sky without city lights?"

My smile becomes wider as I recall a memory. "Yes. Once."

She asks me what I remember of the experience. I close my eyes so I could get a clear picture in my head.

"It was. . .nice," I start. "And. . .it reminded me of a dream."

* * *

"Come on!"

"No."

"Pleease!"

"No."

"Will you just think ab-"

"For the last time Kensuke, no!" I glare at him to emphasize my point. "I won't ask Misato to make you a pilot!"

"But whyyy?"

I raise an eyebrow as I take a bite out of the sandwich I brought to school. "Because it's stupid. Like I told you so many times before, you don't want to pilot an Eva."

"Yes I do! I really do!" says Kensuke. The way he's talking honestly reminds me of a toddler.

I place a hand on my forehead while also shaking my head. I never understood why he's so obsessed with Eva. I knew he was tech nerd, but I never expected him to actually keep bothering me about being a pilot. He seems to have the wrong idea of what it actually means to be a pilot.

"No you don't," I repeat myself. "You don't get paid, piloting is exhausting, and your life's constantly at risk! Being a pilot is literally the worst."

"But you get to pilot an actual mech!" The brunette's eyes seem to sparkle when he said that. I can't help being slightly amused by his enthusiasm. "Besides, you get to fight giant monsters and save the city. It's like you're a real-life superhero!"

I've. . .never really thought of it like that. Is that how people see me?

"That's nice of you to say," I start. "But I'm no superhero, and you're not going to pilot. Besides, no more Evangelions are being produced."

The guy becomes crestfallen. "Are. . .are you sure?"

I nod.

Kensuke lets out a long sigh as he looks to the ground. You can practically see the rain cloud over his head.

"You both are still talkin' about this?" asks Toji while taking a bite out of a granola bar.

"He's the one who keeps bringing it up!" I tell Toji.

Kensuke's still dealing with his rain cloud, so he doesn't say anything. Toji lets out a chuckle.

"Well, now that **that's** done, it's time we start askin' the real questions." Toji reveals a toothy grin.

A frown makes its way onto my face. "Don't you dare!"

"Why aren't you an' Rei dating?"

I deadpan. "Why do you do this?"

Toji continues to wear his grin while shrugging. "Hey, it's a legitimate question. The whole class sees how you are around her. Right Kensuke?"

The brunette dispatches of his rain cloud and displays a smirk. "Yeah. Everyone including the teachers are wondering why you two aren't a thing. I mean, it's obvious you like her."

First of all, what?! Even the teachers are trying to play matchmaker? What the actual fuck?! Second, I do like Rei. I just don't like her **that** way.

I'm about to explain myself when a hand slams itself against my desk. This shocks Toji, Kensuke, and I. Looking to see what the hand's attached to, I find Asuka glaring at me. I respond with a scowl.

"What is it this time?" I ask the girl.

The intensity of her glare increases. "Lunch."

I roll my eyes. "You're still mad about that? Get over it."

"Uh. . .should we leave or. . ."

"Shut it four eyes!" Asuka snaps at Kensuke. She then returns her attention to me. "As for you, of course I'm still upset! You didn't even try to make me breakfast or today's lunch! Now I have nothing to eat!"

I scoff at her rant. "Learn to cook, because I'm not your servant. It's your own fault you're in school with nothing to eat. Be glad I do make you something once in a while."

"It's just like you to leave me to starve then avoid taking responsibility!"

"Oh shut up! I don't have to do shit for you! And your "starvation" is not my responsibility!"

"I bet if Rei asked you'd make her something in a heartbeat!"

"She's got you there," Toji chimes in.

"Shut up!" Asuka and I yell at him. We then bring our attention back to each other and continue our argument. We only stop when Hikari decides to temper Asuka's rage by offering her food. Asuka graciously accepts, but not before giving me the stink eye. The rest of the class is staring at me. Crap! They must've heard the entire thing! Embarrassed, I pull my hoodie over my head.

After lunch, class started. As usual, nothing of interest happened in school. I've long gotten use to everyone worshiping the ground Asuka walks on, so it no longer annoys me. On the bright side, the redhead keeps the rest of the student body away from me. When class ends, me and the other pilots make our way to the Geofront's surface entrance. We had to take a bus instead of taking our usual ride, the trains. For some reason, they weren't working.

When the bus arrives at our destination, I'm the first to get off. Asuka's still pissed about me not making her anything to eat, and she let me know it. So I walked quickly to the Geofront's gate to avoid the redhead. When at the entrance, I swipe my card through the reader. Nothing happens.

"Hmm?"

I swipe my card again, and again nothing happens. Weird. Rei walks past me and swipes her card through the reader. Same result.

"Think it might be broken," I tell Rei.

"What's taking you both so long?!" I hear Asuka ask impatiently.

I turn to the redhead. "This thing's broken."

The girl just rolls her eyes as she walks toward the entrance. "Don't be ridiculous, you're probably just doing something wrong." She then swipes her card through the reader and is surprised when nothing happens. "What?!" She repeats this action several times and it yields the same result.

"It's not working," says Rei.

"Of course it's not working!" responds the redhead.

I shake my head while trying to open some of the other entrances to the Geofront. The readers there don't work either.

"No luck here, how about you guys?"

The sound of something smashing against a door, followed by a curse, is my only response. Figured Asuka would try to use brute force to open a metal door. I lean against a wall and try to figure out what's going on.

"It appears everything in the facility is not working. Odd." says Rei.

"What happened here?" responds Asuka.

That's when something hits me. "Remember how the trains weren't working, like they were out of power?"

There's a moment of silence before Asuka speaks up. "Yeah, what about it?"

I continue. "When on the bus, I overheard a bunch of people saying something about electronics not working or whatnot. Maybe there's a city wide power outage and that's affecting the Geofront."

"What?! But that's impossible!" says Asuka. "Even if the city no longer had power the Geofront is self sustaining! No way it could run out of power!"

"It's the only explanation which makes sense. Why else won't the gate open?"

During me and Asuka's conversation, I spot Rei digging into her bag. Asuka, also noticing this action, digs into her bag as well. I'm slightly confused on what's going on but decide to keep it to myself. Asuka would probably just insult me for voicing my confusion.

Rei eventually pulls out a red pamphlet from her bag and begins reading. Guess the pamphlet has instructions on what to do in situations like this.

"It says we should go to headquarters ourselves," says Rei. Though, I see her face twist into something resembling a frown. Almost like she was disappointed in the information she just read.

"Is that all it says," I ask.

She nods.

Seriously? Who made those instructions? We can't get into the Geofront so the protocol is to get into the Geofront?! Someone needs to get fired.

Asuka, reading her own pamphlet, wears an irritated expression before producing a smirk.

"Well, let's get going shall we," says Asuka. "But first we need to choose a leader."

"Let me guess. You wanna volunteer." I deadpan.

"Well who else is more qualified than I?" she retorts while pointing her nose in the air. She then puts her hands on her waist and leans forward, displaying a cocky grin. "Any objections?"

After hearing no objections, Asuka takes the lead in our little expedition. At least, she attempted to until Rei pointed out the redhead was going in the wrong direction. Asuka, in an attempt to seem competent, brushes off her mistake, claiming she was just testing our knowledge. Like she's fooling anyone. Why does she feel the need to be right about everything?

We find a door which could be opened manually that leads to an underground passage. Opening the portal, we bore witness to the passage itself. The place looked like you'd expect. It's a large open area made completely of metal. The place looks well maintained, no sign of rust. There are pipes sticking out of the walls in some places and metal grates on the ceiling. The air is warm, which I sorta disliked, but it was far from uncomfortable. Due to there being no power, the place is covered in darkness. Specks of light shine through the ceiling, resembling snowflakes. But the place always remained dark.

I always loved dark places, never fully understood why. I guess I kinda enjoy the isolation it can create. When you can't see anything around you, it can make you feel like you're the only person in the world. Some might find that frightening, but I find it comforting.

We spend a good few minutes walking deeper into the passage. Asuka's leading us in the wrong direction. I know this because we're heading up not down.

"You don't know where you're going."

"Can you quit saying that!" responds Asuka, back still turned to me.

"The Geofront is **under** Tokyo-3. So why are we going up?" I say, trying to reason with her.

This time she turns to me. "If you know so much then why don't **you** lead?!"

"I don't know how to get to the Geofront, but maybe if you-"

"I don't wanna hear it!" She interrupts as her back turns to me. She continues walking in the wrong direction, expecting us to follow. I look to Rei and she just follows Asuka. Letting out a sigh, I do the same.

We eventually come across a door which Asuka's confident is the entrance to the Geofront. Since the redhead's feeling dramatic, she kicks the door open. Bit surprised she's able to do that but I don't question it. Only a few seconds pass before I feel the ground shaking, nearly knocking me off balance. Asuka screams then rushes to close the door.

"What was that?!" I ask.

"Well *cough* it was Angel!" she says, trying to act like she wasn't scared.

Surprised, but also curious, I push past Asuka and open the door. She's yelling at me, asking what I'm doing, but I ignore her.

The Angel looks like a giant bug. It has four insect-like legs extending from a small, saucer shaped body. Each leg seems to be the size of a skyscraper, and the body is covered completely in eyes. Though, those eyes seem like they're painted on. The only working eye is located at the bottom of this creature's body. This creature was extremely close, I was almost tempted to touch it. I've never encountered an Angel outside of an Eva, so it was a stimulating experience. But, for some reason, I wasn't afraid. I just stared at the thing with a big smile on my face.

"Idiot! Close the door!" yells Asuka.

"What's the matter, scared?" I mock the redhead. She huffs in response. "The thing isn't even looking at us. But if it'll make you feel better, I'll close the door."

After sealing the portal, I spot Asuka glaring at me. Seems she didn't take too kindly to me mocking her.

"We mustn't waste anymore time," Rei says suddenly. "I know a shortcut." The blue haired girl starts walking, not bothering to wait for Asuka and I.

"Hey! Don't forget I'm the leader!" yells Asuka, but Rei says nothing and continues walking. I walk after Rei and Asuka, eventually, follows suite.

* * *

Moments later, our little group head deeper into the underground passage. With Rei leading the way, I feel confident we'll reach the Geofront before the Angel. But, there's a slight problem of what we'll actually do when we get to the place. If Nerv really is out of power, which I have no doubt it is, then how will we pilot the Evas? Without the Evas, there's no chance of us beating the Angel. Okay, maybe heading to the Geofront is a terrible idea.

Asuka's stomping takes me out of my thoughts. The girl wasn't too happy with Rei taking the position of leader. I really can't understand the girl. Why is she making a big deal about this? Rei obviously knows where to go, so we just need to follow her. I'm just glad Asuka kept her displeasure to herself. I don't want her going on a rant.

"How close are we to the Geofront?" I ask.

"We are close," responds Rei.

I hear a scoff. "Of course the Commander's favorite would know where to go."

My muscles tense momentarily before I manage to calm myself down.

"I am not the Commander's favorite," responds Rei.

"Don't deny it!" Asuka snaps. "Everyone knows Commander Ikari gives you special treatment!"

"Asuka. . ."I warn the girl.

"Don't act all superior just because the Commander likes you!" Asuka continues.

"I do not act superior," says Rei, not even bothering to look at the raging redhead.

Rei's answer only serves to piss off Asuka even further. She blocks Rei's path and gets in her face.

"Don't make me laugh!" yells Asuka. "You never look at me when I'm talking to you, and when you do, you just look through me! As if I were made of glass! Like you're too good to acknowledge I even exist!"

Rei says nothing in response, only offering a blank stare.

"I bet Ikari only likes you because you do everything he says," claims the redhead. "You do every little thing asked of you like a good little doll! I wouldn't be surprised if you were sleeping with him!"

I move between the two girls, my body acting like a wall. My body feels like it's gonna explode. I glare at the redhead, as if it were enough to set the girl on fire. I think I'm shaking. Need to get that under control.

"What?!" Asuka snaps at me.

"Stop it," I say in a dangerously calm voice.

"Why should I?! You know I'm right!"

"No you're not!" I yell at her. "Everything you said about her is just wrong! Don't pretend you know jack shit about Rei or what she has to go through!"

"What **she** has to go through?!" Asuka says in disbelieve. "She literally does nothing all day everyday, yet everyone treats her like a princess!"

"That is not remotely true and you know it!"

A smirk makes it way onto Asuka's face. "Why are you so eager to defend 'Wondergirl'? What, do you get off on being her 'Knight in Shining Armor?" She then pretends she's in shock and awe witnessing my "heroics". "Oh, how noble."

"What is wrong with you?!" I continue yelling at her. "You always do this! You turn everything into some kind of competition, and when you start 'losing' you start attacking people! What the hell do you have to prove?!"

"I have nothing to prove to anyone!" Asuka yells back, insulted that I would suggest such a thing. "I'm naturally better than both of you idiots combined, so I won't let that blue haired bitch walk over me!"

"There you go again! Claiming you're superior while putting everyone else down!" I get closer to Asuka. "Fine. You can do that all you want. But you leave Rei alone! I won't have you push her around!"

Asuka gets closer to me, a challenging smirk on her face. "What are **you** gonna do about it?"

I'm sick and tired of this girl! I thought I'd eventually get along with her. That if I just put aside our differences for a while, we would at least be able to tolerate each other. I was wrong! This bitch doesn't want cooperation! She just wants everyone and everything under her foot. This is the same person who spoke ill of a dead pilot just because she could! Now she's trying to pick on Rei. Someone who already has to deal with a ton of shit! No! I won't let that happen!

Both of my fists tighten as I bare my teeth. I no longer care about the Angel heading to the Geofront. I just want to make Asuka hurt! I want her to hurt!

Rei puts her hand on my shoulder. I initially keep glaring at Asuka but eventually look at Rei when she tightens her grip. The girl refuses to break eye contact with me and I immediately got the message. "Asuka isn't worth it". Letting out a sigh, I backed away from the redhead. She still displays that annoying smile, interpreting my action as a sign of weakness. Rei wipes that smile off Asuka's face by getting closer to the redhead and displaying what may have been a glare.

"Soryu," starts Rei. "I do not intend to continue this pointless argument. The Angel will be heading to the Geofront, and I intend to be there to prevent it from causing extensive damage. If you want to find your own way to our destination, then do so. Just do not waste anymore of our time."

Asuka looks dumbfounded. I'm kind shocked myself. Rei never spoke back to anyone before. To see her do so almost makes me. . .proud? Is that the right word?

Rei walks past Asuka and beckons me to follow, which I do. Eventually, Asuka gets over herself and follows suite.

Moments later we come across a path which is completely blocked by debris. Rei walks closer to the blocked area, digging around the rubble. I continue to stare at the debris.

"Anyway around this?" I ask.

"The ventilation shafts," responds Rei while looking at an air vent. "We will have to crawl, but it will be the quickest path to the Geofront."

I brace myself for Asuka's eventual complaint, but none comes. Rei grabs a pipe and uses it to open a vent. I let Rei enter the vent first since she knows her way around the place. I enter second (I know Asuka will accuse me of looking up her skirt if I go last) and Asuka enters last. The next few minutes are spent in silence. The only sounds come from me or the other pilots' limbs bumping against the metal. There's barely any light and the area is so small. I hate crawling in these vents, but I keep my complaints to myself. Just hope Rei gets us to the Geofront as quickly as possible.

"Ugh, the silence is killing me," I hear Asuka mumble.

"No one cares," I respond.

She remains silent for a moment before huffing. "What? You're still mad?"

"What do you think?"

". . ."

I think five more minutes pass before she speaks up again. "Where are you from?"

"What?" I ask, annoyance changing to confusion.

"What country are you from?" she clarifies.

"I'm from the U.S., you already know this," I tell her. "Besides, why do you care?"

"I don't! It's just. . .I hate how quiet this place is," she responds. "Also. . .I only asked because of your accent."

I raise an eyebrow at that. "Accent? I don't have an accent."

"That's what I'm talking about," she says. "You don't have an accent, despite Japanese not being your first language."

"You don't have an accent either," I point out.

"That's because I'm good at hiding it," she responds. "Even then, it slips out once in a while."

I roll my eyes. What's the point in all of this? "Whatever. Is that all you want to talk about?"

"No!" she pauses. "Just. . .I don't know. I'm slightly curious about who you were before coming to Nerv."

". . ."

"Kaji says you're something special. Apparently, nobody but Nerv knows a thing about you. Nobody knows how you got to Japan or who your parents are. Not that I care! I really couldn't care less! But, the lack of information bothers me a little. Like an annoying itch."

"Is that so," I say while looking back to Asuka. The redhead nods her head. I then look forward and let out a sigh. I'm technically not from anywhere, but I don't want to think about it. Not right now. Thinking about anything related to home only serves to make me slightly depressed. But. . .when did I decide not thinking about home was a good thing?

"I was nobody before coming here," I tell Asuka, attempting to end the conversation. The redhead says nothing in response.

Our group continues pushing forward until something worrying happens. The vents begin creaking and moaning, as if they could no longer hold our weight.

"Rei. . .I thin-"

There's a moment of weightlessness before gravity decides to remind me of its presence. Asuka, Rei, and I fall from the now broken vent, the ground quickly approaching us. I close my eyes and prepare for impact.

The fall didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. Sure I got the wind knocked out of me, but nothing felt broken. Though, it feels like something broke my landing. Something soft. I open my eyes and immediately felt a mixture of regret and annoyance. Somehow, I landed on Asuka in the most compromising position. The girl's face is completely red and it looks like she's gonna scream. Before that could happen, I get to my feet as quickly as possible, looking at anything except her. I'm never gonna hear the end of this.

Scanning the area, I spot Rei standing as if nothing happened, Asuka slowly getting to her feet while displaying a glare, and a bunch of Nerv staff staring at us. Ritsuko's also here, staring at us with a mix of relief and amusement.

So we landed in the Eva cages. That's nice.

Misato, runs to where we are and quickly leads us to our Evas. When I ask her how the Evas are gonna run without power, she said for me not to worry about it. I put on my plugsuit and enter Unit-01. Somehow, I'm able to activate the mecha despite there not being any power in the Geofront. The other pilots activate their Evas as well while Misato gives us our orders. The Angel got into the Geofront and is crawling around the maintenance shafts. We have to chase after the Angel and kill it, obviously. We'll have to do so quickly, because we'll only have five minutes of power.

"Push off the restraints," orders Misato. I command my Eva to do just that as I prepare for launch. The pads use what little power they had left to launch me to a maintenance shaft. When there, I command my Eva to crawl inside. The area's the size of a jet hangar (perhaps even larger), but it's still too small for Unit-01. I have to force it crawl in order to get around. It's like I'm in the air vents again.

Asuka and Rei eventually join me, so we begin crawling to our destination. Asuka's complaining about having to crawl through something again, but it sounded more playful than anything else.

"Vertical shaft insight," reports Rei.

Asuka somehow crawls in front of Rei, kicks open the vent and climbs up the shaft. Rei climbs up next and I'm the last up. I dig my Evas fingers into the surrounding metal so it wouldn't fall. We all climb up a few stories, searching for our target.

"Are you sure the Angel's in here?" I ask no one in particular.

"This is where it was last detected," responds Rei.

"There it is!" reports Asuka.

I have to take her word for it because both her Eva and Rei's are blocking my view. Don't know how we're gonna fight the Angel in such an odd location.

I see something green drop on my Eva's left arm. As soon as the liquid made contact, a burning sensation radiated from that point. The pain wasn't overwhelming, but it was quite a shock.

"What is this stuff?!" asks Asuka, apparently hit by the same liquid.

"It's acid, don't let it touch you!" commands Rei.

"Crap!" says Asuka as more acid pours over Unit-02. It causes her to lose her grip, making her Eva to fall. The robot crashes into Unit-00 and is heading to me!

"Son of a-"

The impact nearly knocks the wind out of me! I lose my grip so we're all falling down a few stories. I manage to stop our descent by tearing into the walls to keep my grip.

"Crap! You guys are heavy!" I complain.

"There's more coming!" reports Rei.

"Get back in the vents!" commands Asuka.

Seeing no flaw in that plan, I swing myself into a vent. Asuka and Rei follow suite, and not a moment too soon. A cascade of green acid falls past the vent's entrance. When the stream stops, I take a peek out of the shaft. Looking down, I see there's a large hole in the ground. Next to the hole is all our rifles. We had to drop them so we could quickly get into the vent. Crap!

"It appears the Angel's primary method of attack is acid," states Rei.

"Oh! You don't say," Asuka responds sarcastically.

"This isn't the time for you to be a bitch," I admonish the redhead. "We need to find a way to kill the Angel."

I take a look at how much power the Eva has left. "And we need to do it fast. We have about three minutes of power left."

Everyone's quiet for a moment before Asuka speaks up. "I have an idea."

This should be good.

"There will be three positions," she explains. "Offense, Defense, and Support! Defense will protect Offense from an acid bath while Support retrieves a rifle from the bottom of the shaft. Support will then pass the rifle to Offense who will fire a volley at the Angel. Any questions?"

"More like concerns," I deadpan. "The rifle literally hasn't killed a single Angel so far. What makes you think this time will be any different?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

I say nothing. Despite me not liking this plan, I have none of my own.

"Just what I thought! I will be Defense, Rei will be Support and you will be Offense!"

She wants to be defense?! That's the most dangerous position! If I somehow screw up, it'll be Asuka who'll pay for it. Just because I don't like her doesn't mean I want her dead.

"You sure you don't want Rei for Offense and me for Su-"

"Stop overthinking things, we don't have all day!" she tells me firmly.

I pause for a moment then nod.

"Alright, let's go!" Unit-02 jumps out of the shaft and spreads its whole body to act as a shield between us and the Angel. I jump out and cling to the wall while Rei jumps to the bottom of the shaft to retrieve the rifles.

At this position, I got a better look at the Angel. It's not looking good. The creature's single eye begins pouring acid. The liquid hits Unit-02, creating steam.

"Aggg!" Asuka moans in pain.

"Rei! The rifle!" I call out to her.

At my call, Unit-00 tosses the rifle to my Eva and I command it to catch the weapon. With weapon in hand, I take a deep breath as I take aim.

"Move!" I command Asuka.

Unit-02 gets out of the way as I fire a few rounds into the Angel. Much to my surprise, the shots actually damaged the creature. I didn't stop shooting until the clip ran empty. The Angel shrivels up, signaling its death.

Unit-02 beings to fall but I catch the Eva, slowing its descent.

"There," starts Asuka. "Now we're even."

Even? What is she even talking abou-

 **. . .**

Is she talking about the time I saved her from the volcano? She decided to defend me just to get even?"

"Wow," I let out a chuckle. "Dumbass."

* * *

Right after the mission ended, Misato decided to take me and the other pilots somewhere. She was in such a hurry to take us somewhere we didn't have time to change out of our plugsuits. Due to that, the smell of LCL permeated throughout Misato's vehicle. Anyway, Misato drove us across the city, but I fell asleep when I realized we were heading outside of Tokyo-3.

I feel something gently nudging me awake. I initially ignore it until the nudging continues. I grumpily open my eyes.

My head is lying on. . .something. Looking to my left slightly, my cheeks become red hot when I realize I'm sleeping on Rei's shoulder. How in the hell did that happen?! I wasn't **that** tired! Rei looks at me, but isn't the least bit disturbed by this situation. Dammit! She probably thinks it's normal for me to do this! Looking to the front of the car, I see Misato wearing an amused expression while Asuka only displaying annoyance.

"Come on love birds, we're here," says Misato.

I didn't even bother trying to defend myself. I just let out a defeated sigh and got out the car. What I saw nearly made me do a double take. We're all standing on a hill, overlooking a Tokyo-3 without power. This gives the stars a chance to shine. It's the clearest I've seen the night sky in a long time.

"Why did you bring us in the middle of nowhere?" Asuka asks Misato, not particularly impressed.

"Well, I thought it would be nice for you guys to get to see the city like this," Misato stares at the city with a smile on her face. "After all, it's not everyday you get a view like this."

I see Asuka's holding back her urge to roll her eyes as she thanks Misato for taking us out here. Misato goes back to the car, saying she needs to call someone. Meanwhile, she encourages us to enjoy the view.

We all lie on the ground, looking at the sky. There are so many stars out. I almost forgot the night could look this. . .beautiful. I'm so used to it being a bland black sky with dots of light that seeing more than one color is almost startling. Streams of blue and purple blend into the black sky. Stars, too numerous to count, almost cover every inch of the area. It's almost like I'm looking at a painting. Seeing the sky like this, is nearly overwhelming. I'm reminded of how small this world is compared to things on a universal scale. This planet is just dust compared to other things in the universe, and I'm less than that. I'm almost afraid that the sky will consume me somehow. I know that might sound silly, but I know there are others who feel the same way. Besides, awe is more prominent at this moment than fear. Heh, all these thoughts make me feel like a little kid.

"You know, the sky's actually nice to look at," admits Asuka.

"Yeah," I respond.

"Still, I prefer this place with the lights on," she says.

I'm slightly surprised by this. I tear my gaze away from the sky to look to Asuka. "Seriously?

She nods. "Don't get me wrong, the sky looks amazing. But without the city's lights, the place looks abandoned."

I nod as I look back to the sky. "Guess you're right about that."

"Man fears the darkness," Rei says out of the blue. "So he scrapes away at the edges of it with fire."

"Heh. Looks like 'Wondergirl's' also a philosopher," says Asuka. Though, she didn't seem to mean it as an insult.

"Did you make that up?" I ask Rei.

She nods.

"It's nice," I tell her. "Makes a person think."

I stare back at the sky, which brings up a memory. It was the only time I saw a night similar to this one. It was during a field trip in fourth grade. We were going to this place to see some giant telescope, and the people there, did a presentation at night. Since we were far from the nearest city, we were able to see the stars. The presenter pointed out the different constellation and helped us identify certain planets. Hell, there were telescopes located around the area, and the whole class were allowed to look through them. I remember being so happy when I was able to see Mars through a telescope. I know Shane would've enjoyed going there. Too bad he never got a chance to. Hey, maybe when I get back home, I can take him to a place similar to the one I went to. I don't know how I'll get him there, but I should try. I can already imagine how much fun we'll have there!

 **. . .**

But. . .what if there's no way to get home?

The city lights come back on, blotting out the starlight.

"That's much better," says Asuka. "Looks like the power's back on."

I get up and start walking back to Misato's car.

"Where are you going?" asks Asuka.

"I'm gonna check on Misato," I tell her.

I also need to go back to Nerv. I need to take care of a few things.

When back at Nerv, me and the other pilots remove our plugsuits and take a shower. Afterward, I told Misato I wanted to stay here for a while. When she asked why, I simply told her I need to talk to Ritsuko about something. The captain bid me farewell, driving off with Asuka and Rei, taking them home. I begin my journey to Ritsuko's office. It's been a while since I've been there, so I have to walk around a bit before I clearly remembering its location.

I never liked Ritsuko. From day one she was only interested in treating me like a science experiment. So getting Misato to have the doctor to ease up on the testing was the greatest thing to happen to me at the time. Sure, the doc would stick a needle in me once in a while, but it wasn't as bad as the first few weeks of being here. Still, despite me not liking Ritsuko, I still need her help.

I finally find her office and hesitantly knock a few times on her door.

"It's open," says a tired voice.

Opening the door, I spot Ritsuko sitting at her desk, looking over a bunch of paperwork. Don't think she recognizes it's me so I cough loudly. She looks away from the stacks of paper and finally sees me.

"Oh! Michael! What an unexpected surprise."

"Yeah," I say while scratching the back of my head. "Don't get too excited, I'm only here because I need something."

"Well, take a seat," she gestures to a chair while smiling. As I take a seat she continues speaking. "So, what do you need?"

I shift my weight in the chair, almost too scared to ask. "I need to know if. . .if you found a way for me to get home."

The smile she had fades away. She takes off her reading glasses and lets out a sigh. "No. . .no I haven't."

I run my hand through my hair, something I do sometimes when nervous or frustrated.

"You need to understand how. . .unusual your situation is," the blonde explains. "Nothing like this has ever happened before. Inter-dimensional travel is still just a theory. The only physical prove that it's even possible is you. So finding a way for you to get home is a monumental task."

"So. . .you can't get me home?" I ask hesitantly.

"I didn't say that," she corrects me. "It will just take a while for me and other Nerv employees to make some progress on that front. But rest assured, my staff and I are doing the best we can to get you home."

I close my eyes as I breathe in deeply through my nose. "What do I need to do?"

My question causes her eyes to widen slightly. "What do you mean?"

"What do I need to do to hasten up the process?" I clarify. "There must be something about me which can give you a clue on getting me home? Some traces of energy in my body that only the machines can pick up, or something?"

Ritsuko puts on a thoughtful expression. "Perhaps."

"Then tell me what I need to do," I tell her. "You need hair, saliva or whatever, I'll do it! I'll participate in whatever test you got for me, just as long as it brings me closer to home!"

She pauses for a moment. "Are you sure?"

I nod.

A smile slowly makes its way onto her face. "Well, there are a few tests you could do to help me learn more about you. Meet me in the lab in around. . .five minutes."

I nod and she leaves the office. I let out a long sigh as I prepare myself for what's yet to come.

Let's get this over with.

* * *

Author's Notes: **Computer: Why did it take you more than two weeks to finish this chapter? You were already halfway done with it in two days.**

 **Me: Sorry, just had an existential crisis and spent most of my time soul searching.**

 **Computer: Really? That's what you're going with?**

 **Me: . . .**

 **Computer: You just got lazy didn't you?**

 **Me: No!**

 **Computer: Is this gonna be a regular thing, you and I?**

 **Me: Naw, just got bored.**

 **Computer: Good, cause I do not wish to be associated with a crazy person.**

 **Me: Eh?!**

 **Computer: You're literally talking to your computer.**

 **Me: Fuck you! You're the one who's crazy!**

 **Computer: . . .**

 **Me: Now you're just being childish.**

 **Computer: [says nothing for it's an inanimate object]**

 **Me: Don't bring my mother into this! ! !**

Anyway, I'm finally done with chapter 10! I honestly didn't know how I was gonna make walking to the Geofront interesting, but I believe I managed to do so. Don't got much to say because my brain is fried for some reason. Don't ask me why, I honestly couldn't tell you. As for the guessing game for chapter 9, **Thomas Drovin** once again got the correct answer. I'm gonna try to make names of the bands and songs harder to guess as the story continues. Why? Because I demand entertainment! God, my brain is so fried! I think I'm starting to ramble.

Chapter 10 Hint: This band's initials are BB. They're known for their post-grunge and alternative-metal musical styles. The name of the song's in the title of this chapter.

Next chapter should appear in a month. I'm gonna fall asleep now.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: A Fallen Angel

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.**

Everything's sore. The doctor's been needle happy ever since I agreed to be her guinea pig. Everyday, she would take so much blood out of me that at one point, I was afraid I'd die from blood loss. Obviously, that didn't happen. Still, I felt like shit due to the lack of blood.

There were other tests Ritsuko would put me through. She would stick me in machines which scanned my body for whatever the doctor was looking for (the whole process literally took hours). I would perform physical activities while the doc scanned my vitals, specifically my brain. The most laid back test overall were the harmonics tests, though they were slightly different. In a regular harmonics test, I would just sit in Unit-01 for an hour trying to stay connected with it while scientists monitor the activity. This time around, it was only Ritsuko and her assistant, Maya, monitoring my progress. The harmonics would also take up to three hours! Three hours of doing absolutely nothing but sitting in one spot! Ritsuko later explained why she increased the amount of time I stayed in Unit-01. She wants to know why I can pilot an Eva.

You see, according to Ritsuko, it should be impossible (or at least it should be incredibly difficult) for me to pilot an Eva. The U.N. constantly monitors any child with even a small chance of becoming a pilot. The doc didn't get into the details, but from what I gathered, only children can pilot Evangelions; even then, it's only children with a "unique" connection to the machines that are capable of getting them to move. Because of this, the amount of potential pilots in the world is painfully small. Yet here I come, a literal alien, able to pilot Unit-01 with only a few weeks of training. That. Shouldn't. Happen. So it makes sense that Ritsuko would want to find the "why" in my situation.

I understand her obsession on that point, still, doesn't mean I have to like it. Especially because anything related to Unit-01 doesn't help me in the slightest when it comes to returning home.

Right now, I'm in Ritsuko's office, waiting for her report. She better come up with something this time. It's been literally weeks since I agreed to be her test dummy. She must have enough data to come up with an answer. Right?

I hear the door behind me open, so I turn to see Ritsuko. Her hair's a bit. . .disheveled, and her glasses are crooked. She immediately straightens herself out, an attempt to look somewhat presentable. She takes a seat at the desk in front of me as I anxiously wait for her answer.

"Well?" I ask.

"Well, you were somewhat correct," she tells me, a slight grin on her face. "We detected slight traces of. . . 'radiation' coming from your body. When excavating the area where you were first found, that exact same kind of energy was discovered."

"So it's possible to do something akin to a 'reverse image search' using that energy?" I ask with restrained enthusiasm.

"Interesting analogy," points out the doctor. "Yes, it's possible to find where your universe is using our machines to scan for that same energy found in your body." She holds up her hand to stop whatever response I was gonna give. "But, getting there is another task entirely."

I nod, understanding what she means.

She leans forward, like she was preparing to for a long explanation. "Tell me Michael, what do you know of multiverse theory?"

I put a hand to my chin, attempting to recall anything I learned on the subject. "Depends on which theory you're talking about." The doctor gestures for me to continue. "Well, there are two theories I know about. The first one is the most famous, as it's constantly used in all shorts of media. It's known as the Many-Worlds Interpretation. It argues that in quantum mechanics, objects can exist in multiple places at the same time. But these same objects can appear in different states depending on a number of factors, or in short, probability. So jumping from that point, it makes sense that the universe itself acts similar to objects in the quantum realm. That our universe is only one of many universes which all exist simultaneously, but each are slightly different. For example, in this universe you're female. But, since it only takes one chromosome to determine one's sex, there's chance you would have been born male. So in another universe, you exist as a man."

I take a short break to prepare myself for another long winded explanation. "The other theory is known as the Bubble Universe theory. It states that since the universe is constantly expanding, it's possible that the expansion could create 'pockets' or 'bubbles' in space-time. Inside each of these 'bubbles' exists a region of space which can be interpreted as a 'separate' universe. Because of how these 'bubbles' were formed, the laws physics could differ from one 'bubble' to another. So technically, it isn't really a multiverse, more like an apartment complex. The universe as a whole, being the apartment, and the 'bubbles' being the rooms inside.

Ritsuko nods. "That's very good. I didn't know you studied such concepts."

I shrug slightly. "Didn't have cable for most of my life, so I was limited on what I could watch. Found a science channel and memorized most of the facts."

That seems to get a chuckle out of her. "I see. Anyway, based on the information available, I hypothesize that you and I exist within a Bubble Universe."

"What makes you say that?"

"First, it's the simplest answer," she explains. "If we assume you were pulled from a wormhole, then it means you were simply transported here from a different part of the universe. Mathematically, that's more likely to happen then if were you pulled from an entirely different universe. Plus, the amount of energy to travel from one point of the universe to another is relatively smaller than traveling to a separate existing universe. Understand?"

I nod. "Yeah. Being from a completely different universe complicated things, so you have to hope the Bubble Universe theory is sound."

She gives an impressed nod. "Jumping off from that point, I can also say that we live in a Bubble Universe by comparing physics. Michael, are you aware you don't have an A.T. Field?"

I raise an eyebrow, slightly confused at what she just said. "Umm. . .yeah. Why is that odd? Don't only Angels have A.T. Fields?"

She shakes her head. "No. Not a lot of people know this, but every living thing on Earth has an A.T. Field. It is the Angels who are the only creatures able to manipulate their own field due to their S2 organ. You see, an A.T. Field is what allows plants and animals to retain their form. Without it, there is no life."

That's when a large smile plasters her face. "But you don't seem to have that problem. Here you are, a living creature without an A.T. Field to keep it stabilized. You shouldn't be possible according to our laws of physics, so you must come from a place where the physics are different. Where life evolved without the need for an A.T. Field. Since I know the physics are different where you're from, then I can knock out another theory, that the universe is just eternal expansion and nothing else. And another thing-"

Ritsuko just kinda drones on for a few minutes. I tune her out for risk of my brain exploding. But she made her point. We are living in a Bubble Universe, and since we know that, we are better prepared for creating a passageway.

"So, basically you're saying you're confident you can find a way for me to get home?"

She finally snaps out of her excited rambling and begins to focus. "Yes. It will be difficult, but we'll be able to find your corner of the universe. The problem comes from actually getting there. But based on the data available, that should no longer be a problem."

Good. Though. . .I got another question.

"One more thing. Is it possible to say that a fictional world could exist within a Bubble Universe, like a book or a tv show."

God that sounds stupid when I say it out loud.

Ritsuko's eyes widen slightly, obviously not expecting me to ask something so. . . ridiculous. "I suppose it's possible. If the universe really is never-ending, then there's a chance you might find a world resembling that of something found in fiction. Why do you ask?"

Already came up with an answer for that. "I don't know. Guess I thought it would be nice to be transported into one of my favorite animes or something equally stupid."

Ritsuko's wearing an amused expression at my childish answer. Honestly, being transported to a place like Pokemon wouldn't be half bad.

"I see," the doctor gets out of her chair. "Well, that's all the information I have for you today. I can gather more data tomorrow if you're free then. Other than that, we're done for today."

I nod then get out of my chair. "Okay. Till next time."

I exit Ritsuko's office and make my way out of the Geofront. Looking at my phone, I see it's two in the afternoon. Testing ended earlier than usual, but I'm not complaining. Still, I wish Ritsuko gave me some concrete answers. The best I got was that we **might** be able to get me home, assuming the Bubble Universe theory is correct. The only thing concrete I got was the radiation Ritsuko found inside of me.

Though, I guess it's nice I got some kind of answer. The Bubble Universe theory kinda explains why I'm in a world that shouldn't exist. But, something's still bothering me. If this world's physics are really different from my world's, even if it's by a little, I think should've experienced some negative side effects. Ritsuko says life here physically can't exist without an A.T. Field, so me existing here should cause some kind of problem. Yet, I feel fine. Why is that?

I continue to be trapped in my thoughts as I make my way to a train station. I feel tired as I enter one of the trains, which comes as no surprise. After all the tests I was put through, I'd be amazed if I wasn't tired. Seeing as no one's on the train, I decide to get a bit of shut eye.

Hope Ritsuko comes up with something more concrete.

* * *

I wake up to the sounds of two familiar voices entering the train. Scanning the area, I spot Toji and Kensuke standing in the train aisle, soaking wet. They eventually spot me and come over to where I'm sitting.

"Hey Michael!" greets Toji. "You got stuck in the rain too?"

I raise an eyebrow. "It's raining?" I take a look out the window and see storm clouds in the sky, showering the whole city with water. "Huh. Guess it is."

"You didn't notice?" he asks.

I shake my head. Typically rain puts me to sleep. I guess the sound it makes causes me to feel relaxed.

"I'm guessing you got caught up in the storm." I say.

Kensuke nods. "Yeah. The storm just snuck up on us when we got out of school. We had to hide in the nearest train station."

"When the storm didn't let up, we decided to hop on a train," Toji adds. He groans as he takes a seat next to me. His head's leaning back as he puts his hand on his face. "This sucks! No trains stop anywhere near where I live, so I'm gonna have to walk home!"

"Yeah, same here." Kensuke adds.

They're both being ridiculous, and I let them know it. A little rain isn't gonna kill anybody. Before they can respond to my comment I told them they can stay at Misato's place until the rain settles down. After all, it's just a short walk from the next train stop. Toji and Kensuke seem wary of going to Misato's place for some reason, but they eventually decide to take my offer.

Minutes pass and we begin talking about our day. Toji asks me where I've been, he and Kensuke rarely sees me at school. You see, when I agreed to go through with Ritsuko's tests, I had to skip school on some days. So I rarely had time to hang out with Toji and Kensuke. I explain to Toji I was busy doing "Nerv stuff" and that was enough to satisfy his curiosity. But Kensuke, hearing my response, was constantly digging for information on what I was doing at Nerv. I was able to masterfully deflect most of his questions without revealing why I was really at Nerv. I'm not sure if it'll be a good idea to let either of my friends know I'm practically an alien.

After the train arrived at our stop, we got off and ran to Misato's apartment. It's raining pretty hard, so we're all soaked to the bone by the time we reached the apartment. When we enter the place, all of us are out of breath. I start laughing at how displeased both of my friends seem to be after having to run through the rain. After I was done laughing at their expense, I went to fetch some towels to dry ourselves off.

"Glad you find this funny," mutters Toji as he takes a towel.

I throw a towel at Kensuke so he can try himself off. I then shrug at Toji while wearing a smile. "It's not my fault your reactions are funny."

I notice Kensuke wandering around the apartment. "Hey Michael, is Misato home?"

"Probably," I respond. "Probably in her room sleeping."

Most likely nursing a hangover.

"We'll then, we should be quieter," Kensuke says in practically a whisper. "She probably had a rough day."

I deadpan. "Seriously?"

"She's a hardworking woman. She deserves some peace and quiet."

"When did you become so chivalrous?"

I hear a door slide open. Looking for the door making the noise, I spot Asuka peeking out of her room. I can tell she's still wearing her school uniform, but it's slightly loose, suggesting she's changing. My eyes don't dwell too long on those details for I notice her expression. She's pissed.

"What are these two creeps doing here?!" she asks, loudly.

"Shhhhh! ! !" Kensuke and Toji say simultaneously.

"Don't 'Shhh' me!" she points to Toji and Kensuke. She then looks at me. "Answer the question!"

I roll my eyes. "They couldn't make it home in the rain, so I invited them here to take shelter."

"Yeah right," she response, obviously not buying the truth. "Well I'm changing in here, so no peeking or else you're all dead!"

She slams the door. Toji makes a comment about Asuka being a snake, to which I said was too nice a comparison. Kensuke throws his two cents in by pointing out the obvious, that the redhead's full of herself. They continue their rant, not noticing Misato's door opening. When the door fully opens, the sound of it stops their rant dead in the tracks.

"M-Misato!" says Kensuke timidly, as if it were the first time he met Misato. "Did we wake you?"

The woman's fully dressed, so it doesn't seem likely. She confirms my suspicions by shaking her head.

"No, I was already awake. Just was preparing a few things." She takes a look at me and raises an eyebrow. "Where were you this morning?"

"I was at Nerv, like I practically am every other day," I respond.

She sighs. "You need to tell me where you are at **all** times. I worry you know."

"Okay MOOOM," I respond sarcastically. She pauses for a moment before rolling her eyes.

"You're such an ass," she says much to my amusement. "Just a reminder, you have a harmonics test this evening." She then raises her voice slightly. "Hey Asuka, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," the girl responds while still in her room.

"Actually," I point out. "I already did a harmonics test today."

Misato nods. "Makes sense. Guess it'll just be me and Asuka at Nerv today." She opens the front door. "See you later."

Before she can leave, Kensuke stiffened, like he just remembered something important. "Oh! And congratulations on your promotion!"

Misato gives Kensuke surprised expression. She lets out a small smile. "Thank you for noticing." The door closes.

I give Kensuke a questioning look. "Promotion? What promotion?"

The brunette looks at me as if I'd suddenly grown horns. "Don't tell me you didn't notice! She's just been promoted to Major!"

I raise an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

"Her badge changed," Kensuke responds as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It's got two stripes, meaning she's now a Major."

"Interesting."

"Honestly, how can you not notice?!" Kensuke scolds me.

"Yeah," Toji chimes in. "She works hard for both you and Asuka yet she doesn't get one bit of appreciation."

"Oh come off it," I tell Toji while rolling my eyes. "Don't pretend you noticed Misato was promoted."

Asuka exits her room, wearing casual clothing. "What you are three idiots talking about?"

We all turn to the redhead. Each of us with varying reactions to her presence.

"None of your business," I tell Asuka, getting the desired reaction.

"Hmph! Whatever!" She walks to the front door. "Stay out of my room. If I found out you perverts went in there, you're all dead!" She slams the door.

Damn drama queen.

"So, y'all want to go to arcade?" I ask Toji and Kensuke.

"How can you think of going to an arcade at a time like this!" Kensuke practically yells at me.

"So. . .that's a no?"

"We need to do something to celebrate Misato's promotion!"

I raise an eyebrow at the brunette. "Kay. . .what do you suggest?"

Kensuke adjusts his glasses as a big grin covers his face. "We plan a surprise party. With cake, drinks, the whole package."

"That's a great idea!" says Toji, immediately on board with Kensuke's plan.

I let out a sigh. "Seriously?"

Toji and Kensuke nod while a serious look paints their face. I decide to give in and agree to the party idea. I have nothing better to do anyway.

"Whatever. I'll make the cake," I inform them.

Toji raises his eyebrow. "You know how to bake a cake?"

"Not really," I respond while walking to the kitchen. I then pull out my phone and head to the internet. "But I can look it up."

Eventually getting the oven ready, I gather the materials needed to bake a cake. I instruct Kensuke and Toji to go to a store to gather some party supplies. Things like plastic cups, plastic silverware, and other party essentials. When they return later with the materials, we got to work setting up the decorations. They're all crudely done, but its to be expected. This is all in the spur of the moment.

Still not enthusiastic about this party. But, it'll be interesting to see Misato's reaction.

* * *

When the cake's done baking, I put some frosting on it and add some last minute decoration. The cake's "decoration" just consisted of the words "Congratulations on the Promotion" written in kanji. Kensuke said I spelled "congratulations" wrong, which I responded with "well then, you should have told me before I stopped caring". Moments later, the front door begins to open.

"Get into positions!" Kensuke says barely above a whisper.

Me and Toji do as he says and head to the living room. I grab the cake and put it on the dinner table on the way there. All of us stand underneath a banner with "congratulations" written on it. We all have noisemakers in our hands, waiting for the perfect moment to use them.

I hear Misato and Asuka having a conversation as they enter the hallway which leads to the living room. Though, I can't hear what they're saying. As soon as they enter the living room, Toji and Kensuke yells "surprise" while using the noisemakers. Misato's shocked, not expecting this at all. Asuka looks dumbfounded as well.

The newly promoted Major shakes off her shock and smiles. "What's this all about?"

"Well. . .We wanted to congratulate you on your promotion," starts Toji. "So we decided to throw you a party."

"Aww, thank you," she responds. She then spots the cake. You can practically see her mouth watering. "Did you buy that?"

"Actually, Michael made it," Kensuke answers.

Dammit, man! I thought we were friends!

Misato gives me a devious look. "Let's add that to the list of things you need to make me everyday."

I groan as I glare at her. "That ain't happening anytime soon."

The smile on Misato's face says "Oh? Wanna bet?"

Dammit.

Asuka decides it would be a good idea to invite Hikari over. Toji was dreading this due to Hikari being. . .well, Hikari. Since the redhead was inviting the class rep over, I asked her to also invite Rei. Why I asked her to invite Rei is beyond me. Guess in the end it didn't matter, Asuka told me Rei immediately declined the invitation. Should have expected that. Though, her being here would have made this party bearable.

The party officially begins when Hikari arrives. This "party" just consisted of us eating food and talking. The talks usually involved Asuka or Hikari pushing one of Toji's buttons and Kensuke attempting to hold his friend back. For Misato, it was an excuse for her to start drinking and not have anyone say anything about it. I hold back a groan when I realize I'm gonna have to clean up the mess a drunk Misato can make.

As the party continues, everyone begins to talk about mundane things. They take about school or homework, with Misato occasionally making an inappropriate joke. Even though I know everybody here, I literally can't think of anything to say to them. I'm not much of a talker, especially when I don't know exactly what to talk about. It's one of the main reason I don't enjoy parties. I just feel like an outsider looking in. The situation would be slightly more bearable if everyone was more quiet. But, then the party would be boring. I let out a sigh as I eat a piece of my cake.

"You're pretty quiet," Misato whispers to me.

I glance at her then chuckle. "Yeah? How is that odd for me?"

"Well your friends are busy having fun while you seem to be keeping to yourself," she points out.

I grunt. "Just not use to parties. Never know what to say."

Misato laughs which gets me to look at her inquisitively. "What's so funny?"

Misato pulls herself together while drinking her beer. "Nothing. You're just so cute when you worry."

I scoff at her comment. "Shut up."

"So, why were you really at Nerv," asks Misato which causes me to pause. "I know you weren't there just for a harmonics test."

I think for a moment. Scanning the room, I see Asuka and the others not paying attention, so I guess it's okay to talk about. "I was trying to find a way home."

Misato gives an unreadable expression at first, then it switches to worry. I hate that look. "Oh. Any luck?"

I let out a sigh. "Not really. Just found some radiation which **might** help. Until Ritsuko comes up with something else, I'm stuck here."

Misato remains quiet for a good minute. I go back to eating some food, believing the conversation is over. She speaks up again, this time in an even softer tone.

"Michael. . . are you happy here?"

I almost choke on my food. Her question caught me completely off guard. I take a moment to think and. . .well, I'm not exactly miserable. I'm hesitate to use the word "happy", but. . . I guess the word "comfortable" works. Yeah. I feel comfortable in this world. A bit **too** comfortable.

 **. . .**

Is it wrong to feel like this? I mean, I belong home not here! I don't care how comfortable I feel here, I need to go back to see if Shane's alright. Wait. . .I've been here for a while. Oh shit! He must be worried sick. He probably thinks I'm dead! Shit! How did I let time fly by so-

My inner rant stops at the sight of Misato. She's waiting for my answer. She's hoping. . .no, begging I'd say that I'm happy here. But, I can't say that! Not with what's on my mind.

I shrug and say "I guess so," while giving my best false smile. Odd. First time I've done that in a while. Feels like a lifetime since I felt the need to do that. Anyway, my words and my actions seem to calm her nerves. Don't think I'd ever forgive myself if I made her feel like shit again.

Misato suddenly tenses up as soon as Asuka wonders out loud where Kaji is. Apparently, the redhead invited him over.

As if to answer Asuka's question, someone knocks on the door. Asuka went over and opens the front door, revealing the man in question. Asuka's mood immediately soured when she realized Kaji wasn't alone. He has his arm around a casually dressed Ritsuko. I can see Misato's mood also sour at this sight which gets me to laugh. I'll bother her about that later.

The two visitors joins the party with the rest of us. Kaji commends Misato on her promotion while the woman tries to not look absolutely disgusted in the man's presence. Ritsuko subtly asks if I'll be able to do some testing sometime tomorrow. I tell her no, since she seems too eager to pick me apart (knowing her, she'd probably do so literally). Though, our conversation did reveal something interesting. Rei is on a mission with Gendo which involves her going to Antarctica. Well, I guess that's why she couldn't come to the party. Still, it sucks she didn't come. The girl barely has any time to relax, which is a shame.

A smile makes its way onto my face as I look at a piece of untouched cake.

Wonder if Rei has a sweet tooth.

* * *

"You found the story unpleasant?"

"Not really," I explain to Rei while leaning back in my chair. "I liked the story, but the ending made no sense!"

"How so?" she questions.

I let out a sigh as I lean forward in my chair. Rei and I are talking about the book I finally finished reading, Phantom Ties. We've been spending most of our time at school, focusing on certain aspects of the story in that book. More specifically, the ending. It's just sooo frustrating! I spent weeks learning new words just to finish the book, and I'm rewarded with some cryptic, bullshit ending!

"Like I said, the ending makes no sense!" I explain to Rei. "Throughout the whole story, Itsuki questions which world is real and which is a dream. Then halfway through the story, it's hinted that something else is going on. But in the end, none of that shit matters! The ending doesn't give any answers to Itsuki's questions. Instead, there's some needless religious symbolism combined with a cluster fuck of an ending!"

Rei blinks a few times before responding. "I agree the book's ending can seem. . .unusual. The vague wording and the sudden religious imagery makes everything seem chaotic. I can see how one can become frustrated after reading such a thing." A pause. "Perhaps the point of the ending was not to answer any questions proposed by the reader. Perhaps its purpose was to show the answers and the questions do not matter."

I give Rei a questioning look as she continues. "Itsuki had to choose which world made him feel like he had a sense of belonging. Instead of having Itsuki's questions answered, we're shown both worlds have their own negative traits, as well as their own positives. It didn't matter which world was real, what mattered was what Itsuki believed was real. What mattered, was how strong his connection was to either world. The religious imagery in the end shows that anywhere can be his paradise, if he so wishes."

That's. . .really insightful. How long has Rei thought about this story? "You've read this book more than once, haven't you?"

Rei looks to her lap, the place where the book in question rests. "Yes. For some reason, I feel drawn to the story."

"Heh. You just like the book is all." I say chuckling a bit. Rei gives a blank stare. "Oh, right! Before I forget."

I dig into my school bag and pull out a container. It's one of those special ones which keeps food cold so you don't have to worry about it spoiling. Rei has a curious expression on her face as I open the container, revealing a piece of cake as well as a plastic fork. "Saved you a piece since you missed the party."

She stares at the piece of food, then gives me a look. "There. . .there was no need for you to-"

"Naw, it was no trouble at all," I interrupt her. A genuine smile appears on my face. "It's what friends do, right?"

She produces the same expression she always uses when she doesn't understand something. Like always, that expression reminds me of a lost child. "Friends?"

"Yep," I respond. "Don't be so surprised. After all, you helped me when I needed help, and you're pretty fun to hang around. You're also someone I. . . I can always count on to listen," I pause only for a second, trying not to sound too sappy. "So yeah, we're friends."

She looks dumbfounded. "I don't. . .but. . ." Her head lowers, causing her hair to cover her face. "Why?"

She. . .Is she alright?

I'm starting to sense my classmates staring at us, which is annoying. Don't they have anything better to do?

"A-Anyway, wanna try it?" I ask as I hand her the cake. She looks as the container for a moment, considering if she should take it or not. She eventually takes the container and uses the fork inside to slowly dig into the cake. "Just some heads up, it was my first time making cake so it might not be that good. Add that to the fact it's been stuck in a fridge all night, it might end up tasting-"

My mini rant was interrupted as Rei takes a bite out of the cake I made.

"It's sweet," she says.

"So, you like it?" I ask.

She nods which gets me to smile. Then, slowly but surely, Rei begins to smile. She hardly ever does that, for some reason, it makes me happier than I have any right to be.

"JUST KISS ALREADY! ! !" yells Toji from across the classroom.

"SHUT UP! ! !" I yell back at him. Does he ever get tired of that?!

Just then, a loud wailing sound echoes throughout the whole school. I put my hands over my ears to make the noise more bearable. Sounds like it's coming from the entire city!

"What's that?!" I yell.

"Emergency alarms," Rei responds.

My phone vibrates as I receive a message. Looking at it, I know why the alarms are on. An Angel has been spotted.

Rei and I rush out of the classroom, Asuka quickly following after us. When we get to Nerv, we were ordered to get into our plugsuits and head to the Command Center to be briefed on the mission. Fully geared up, we go to the Command Center; there Misato begins to brief us on our mission. As she explains what we're supposed to be doing, things start sounding familiar. The further she goes into her explanation, the more familiar things get, and the stronger the pit in my stomach becomes. She wants us to catch an Angel falling from space, whose impact could possible destroy all of Tokyo-3.

"WHAT?! YOU WANT US TO CATCH IT! ? !" asks Asuka, obviously not liking the idea anymore than me.

"That's right," responds Misato. "The MAGI will calculate the Angel's estimated drop zone. Using your Evas' A.T. Field, you will catch it before it hits the ground."

"What if the Evas can't handle the impact?" asks Asuka.

"There will be a crater where Tokyo-3 used to be," Misato states plainly.

"What is our probability of success," asks Rei.

"Pretty low," responds the Major.

"How can you call this a plan?!" Asuka asks, rightfully frustrated.

"This plan will work," I say which gets everyone to look at me. "Okay look, we all know how shitty this plan is. But in case you didn't notice, all of Misato's plans are shitty!"

"Are you going somewhere with this," asks Misato, seemingly amused.

"I'm just saying, all your plans are bat-shit insane. But," I continue. "So far, they all have worked. As unbelievably stupid this idea of yours is, I'm certain it will work."

Misato has a smile on her face while Asuka looks dumbfounded.

"Are you serious?!" asks the redhead.

"Hey, if we fail then we're dead anyway, so what's the point in worrying," I respond.

Asuka lets out a huff as she crosses her arms.

"So, does anyone feel like backing out?" asks Misato. Me and the other pilots don't say a word. "Good. Now due to regulations, you're all suppose to write a will. Have you done that yet?"

"Like hell I'm writing a will," responds Asuka. "I'm not gonna die. Not yet."

"I have no need to write a will. There would be no point," Rei also chimes in.

This leaves only me. "Oh, where was this option all the other times I was fighting Angels?"

"So you wrote your will?" responds the Major in a playful tone.

"Naw," I tell her. "I was just pointing something out. Besides, you and I both know me writing a will is practically pointless."

Her expression changes slightly, but quickly returns to a smile.

"Okay then," she inhales deeply through her nose, and breathes out slowly. For the first time since we got here, she looks unnerved, the expression doesn't last long though. "When this is all over, I'll treat you all to a steak dinner."

"A steak dinner huh," says Asuka. "You promise you won't conveniently forget?"

Misato chuckles. "I promise."

"We'll hold you to that," I tell her.

"I'm sure you will," she says as she leaves the Command Center.

After Misato leaves Asuka lets out what really is on her mind. "A steak dinner? Really?"

"Hey, any food not cooked by Misato is a deal in my book," I respond.

"I guess," she says, not fully agreeing with my statement. "Well, might as well figure where she's going to take us. You're coming too 'Wondergirl?'"

"No," responds Rei.

"Oh, right. She doesn't eat meat." I tell Asuka.

The redhead raises an eyebrow, then a devious smirk appears on her face. "You sure know a lot about Rei, don't you Michael."

I just groan as I slam my hand against my face.

Later on, Ritsuko provides us with more information on what exactly to do when faced with the Angel. In essence, the exact location on where the Angel's gonna land is a guess. More specifically, it a guess made by Misato's "intuition". If I wasn't certain this plan was going to work, I would have found a way to jump ship a while ago.

* * *

Asuka, Rei and I are taking a lift which leads to our Evas. Like I always do before every mission, I slow my breathing and try to clear my mind. I learned it's best to not to think too hard when piloting an Eva. The more I worry, the more mistakes I make on a mission. So my mind needs to be clear. . .even if I 'm trying to catch a living meteor.

"Hey. . .Fourth Child," says Asuka to get my attention. Though, she's whispering for some reason.

"What?" I give her a look which says I'm in no mood to talk. We're going to be catching something the size of a building which will be falling at terminal velocity. I don't want any distractions.

"You said said something weird when Misato asked us to write a will," the redhead explains. "That you writing one is practically pointless."

Is that it? "Yeah? What about it?"

"What did you mean by that?" She asks in a way which seems like she isn't interested in the answer. Though if she really isn't interested, then why is she asking the question?

I scoff. "Why do you care?"

"Don't get the wrong idea," she says while pointing at me. "It's just a weird thing to say is all."

"Rei practically said the same thing," I respond.

"You and I both know it isn't strange for 'Wondergirl' to say something like that."

I let out a sigh. She isn't going to be satisfied until I give her an answer. But I really don't want to think about this. Especially before a mission.

"I don't have a lot of possessions here, so giving them away would be pointless," I tell her. "Even if I did have anything valuable, I have no one to give them to."

"Not even in America?"

I let out a long exhale. I really don't want to talk about this. "Doesn't matter. Besides, it's not like you'd understand. The 'Great Asuka' probably has thousands of people who'll claw each other just breathe the same air as her. Heh, bet you were a real big shot back in Germany."

The redhead gives me an odd look before looking back in front of her, a scowl etched on her face. " *Sigh* You're such a jerk."

A smile makes its way to my face. "I know."

Asuka slowly breathes out as she closes her eyes. A smirk replaces her scowl as the lift comes to a stop.

"I get it, you were a nobody back in the U.S.," she tells me in a teasing tone. "But here, you're an Eva pilot. That makes you somewhat important. It also means everything you do reflects on us. So on this mission, don't screw up." Her tone becomes slightly serious, yet it still retains that patronizing attitude. "And don't die. I won't forgive you if you do."

The lift comes to a stop as she exits the machine, heading to her Eva. My eyes are wide open, trying to process what Asuka just said.

Eventually, Rei and I walk out of the lift and head to our Evas.

"Heh. She's such an idiot."

When the LCL fills my lungs, I check to see if everything in Unit-01 is working properly. The mission is pretty simple. Find where the Angel's gonna land and haul ass there. Me and my fellow pilots have to do this without umbilical cables, since they'll only slow us down. So, we got five minutes to stop and kill the Angel. No pressure.

Misato checks in over the radio, telling all the pilots to ready their Evas. I command Unit-01 to brace itself against the metal platform it stands on, similar to a track runner. The other Evas are miles away from where I am. The idea was for the Evas to surround the area where the Angel **might** land. It makes the probability of us actually catching the creature higher.

"Are all pilots ready," Misato asks over the radio. Me and the other pilots tell her we're ready to being the mission.

"Alright. Just a reminder, the MAGI will be feeding your Evas' data on the general impact zone. But it's still just a guess. You'll need to use your own judgement in determining where the Angel will land. Understand?"

"Yes," me and the pilots respond simultaneously.

"Okay. Disconnect the locks and the umbilical cables!" The Major commands the Nerv employees.

The locks restricting my Eva's movements become undone as the umbilical cable disconnects, leaving me with limited power. Immediately, I force Unit-01's legs to push against the ground, making it go into its first stride. My face molds into a smile as the ground shatters beneath the mech's feet due to how fast it's moving. I run past several buildings and crash through a fair few to get to my destination quicker. My eyes become as big as dinner plates as I look to the sky.

"There it is!" I report, having seen the falling Angel. The creature's still too far away to see its exact features. But it's the Angel alright, and it's moving fast!

"Damn! I'm not gonna make it!" yells Asuka.

"Neither will I," Rei reports.

Guess it's up to me. "Misato! Clear the way!"

"You got it!" The Major commands the technicians so move some building out of my path. This gives me room to move even faster, breaking the sound barrier. I start laughing like a maniac as the resulting shock wave destroys anything which dares to stand in my way. I've only moved this fast once, so to do it again is exhilarating.

Blast shields rise from the ground, creating a ramp. Seeing where Misato's heading with this, I push the Eva to its limit as it runs then jumps off the shields, practically flying to the Angels's impact zone.

"YEEEAAAAH! ! !" I shout as I fly through the air. I prepare for a landing as the ground quickly approaches. When I land, the ground shatters beneath me, creating a creator. Other than a slight woozy feeling, I'm fine, and Unit-01's unscathed. Looking to the sky, I see now the Angel's closer than ever. It looks like an amoeba with a giant eye in the center of it. The air around it seems to distort as the creature changes into a rainbow of colors.

This thing's huge! It's bigger than anything I've seen up until now! Unit-01 and the other Eva's are roughly the size of buildings, yet this creature easily dwarfs anything in Tokyo-3 at the moment. Any enthusiasm I had up until now vanishes at the sight of the Angel. My hands begin to shake, so I have physically stop them from doing that. How the hell are we supposed to catch that?!

Despite logic telling me that it's impossible for an Eva to stop this thing, I decide to try anyway. Pushing my fears deep inside, I take a deep breath and prepare myself.

"A.T. Field! Full Power! ! !" Unit-01's invisible field of energy expands with such force, it creates a shock wave in the surrounding area. I raise my Eva's hands in the air as the Angel approaches. When the creature's field interacts with my own, I feel a sudden weight in my arms. It's heavy! Heavier than anything I've ever lifted in my life! Both my arms as well as Unit-01's buckle under the strain. Yet, surprisingly, I'm able to keep the Angel from falling. I actually caught it!

The Angel suddenly gets even heavier as it expands its A.T. Field, pushing me deeper into the ground. My bones and muscles are on fire! They feel like they're going to burn away! I continue pushing through the pain as the Angel's eye begins to glow. Before I can react, two red spears pierce Unit-01's hands.

"AHHHH! ! !" Fuck! ! ! I tighten my grip on the controls as my face twists into a snarl. I stare down the damn creature like that alone was enough to kill it. I'm no longer scared. I'm angry!

The entire area becomes engulfed in a red hue as the wind kicks up. The wind tears away the grass and the surrounding trees. The worst thing happens when Unit-01's arms burst, spraying crimson liquid everywhere. The pain become unbearable as the area turns into what looks like the apocalypse.

"I. . .I can't hold it much longer!" I report to anyone willing to listen.

"I'm on my way!" I hear Rei report. Looking in the corner of my eye, I spot her Eva in the distance.

"I'm in the area, don't screw up!" I hear Asuka add.

Unit-00 finally finally arrives! Rei expands her Eva's A.T. Field as the machine prevents the Angel from touching the ground. Rei's help lightens the load, allowing me exert myself less.

"Soryu, the core!"

"Shut up! I know that!" the redhead responds to Rei's order.

Asuka, now close enough to do some damage, expands her Eva's field as it delivers an upward palm strike. The force of the impact is enough to push the Angel back slightly. Using the Eva's free hand, Asuka pulls out the Progressive Knife and cuts through the Angel's A.T. Field. This action gets her close to the core so she strikes it. She misses.

"What the-" Asuka's at a loss of words as she sees the core moving around erratically, making it difficult to strike.

The Angel becomes even heavier, making it difficult to stop.

"Asuka!" I begin while gritting my teeth.

"I know!" she responds, frustrated.

My whole body's on fire. It hurts to much! But I need to keep going! If I stop now, I'm gonna-

Something's wrong.

It feels like all the energy has been sucked out of my body as Unit-01's legs begin to buckle. I can no longer handle the Angel's weight.

No! Not now!

"Michael's sync ratio is dropping!" I hear one of the technicians over the radio say, confirming my fears.

I check the amount of power I have left and it doesn't exactly heighten my spirit.

Forty-five seconds of power left!

"Dammit! You had to pick **now** to screw up?!" Asuka says with obvious strain in her voice.

"Not now! Let me think!" I respond.

Thirty seconds left!

I've got an idea, but I need to time it just right.

"Rei, I need you to hold the remainder of the weight! Can you do that?!"

She lets out a grunt, confirming she's willing to try. I let go of the Angel and Rei immediately feels the effects. Her Eva's legs begin to buckle as crimson liquid begins pouring from its body due to the strain. Meanwhile, I do my best commanding Unit-01's A.T. Field to wrap around its hands, feeding it power in the process. I start tracking the Angel's core, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

My hands are knifes! My hands are knifes! My hands are knifes!

Eighteen seconds left!

"RAHHH! ! !" I scream as I plunge Unit-01's hands through the A.T. Field and grab the Angel's core. I don't know what it's made of, but it's like I dipped my hands in molten metal! My veins actually become visible in my arms as the pain increases, causing me to think the core is somehow doing physical damage on my actual body! Despite all the pain and worry, I keep hold of that crimson orb for dear life!

"S-Soryu!" Rei grunts out.

"KILL IT! ! !" I scream at the redhead!

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! ! !" yells Asuka, ever defiant to the end. She plunges her knife into the core and it cracks. The redhead lets out a war cry as her Eva delivers a power kick to the knife's handle, causing the crimson orb to finally shatter.

As if a switch had been flipped, everything goes quiet. The red hue which was once prominent in the area disappears as the wind dies down. The Angel's once heavy body falls to the ground as if it were nothing but a blanket. My Eva's power runs out, causing it to collapse. I didn't feel the impact, probably due to how sore by body is. I don't want to move a single part of my body, so I just it in my entry plug, staring at the display screen.

"That steak dinner better be great."

* * *

Nerv staff had to remove part of the Angel almost immediately since it landed on the Evas, leaving me and the other pilots trapped. When we were removed from our Evas, we all were transported to the Nerv hospital wing. Odd, usually doctor Akagi would take a quick look at us then we'll be on our way. Pilot's don't usually go to the hospital unless they're knocked unconscious or injured. For some reason, the hospital staff were worried about us, mainly me, being infected. With what, they wouldn't tell. But apparently, having an Eva directly interact with a living Angel's core is a big no-no. That's what got the medical staff all worked up. Luckily, they found nothing wrong with us, so we were released.

Later on, Asuka reminded Misato on her promise to take all the pilot to a steak dinner. Misato, reluctantly, agreed to take us to a restaurant. Knowing her, she probably withdrew all the money she had available, which makes me realize something. Misato's job has shit pay.

Asuka surprised Misato and I when she suggested we should go to a ramen restaurant. The redhead's reasoning was that she knew Misato was tight on money, so a ramen place would be much easier on Misato's bank account. Also, because it's a ramen restaurant, there will be food without meat in it as an option, meaning Rei can come along. So when we invited Rei, she actually agreed to come.

I think it's some time around six or seven when we arrived at the ramen place. Everyone makes their orders, leaving me the only one who hasn't ordered anything. I don't recognize any of the flavors on the menu so I get what Asuka's getting. By that, I mean Asuka just ordered for me, getting impatient. So now I have a bowl of shark fin soup in front of me.

The next few minutes are silent due to us eating. This shark fin soup actually tastes pretty good, though I know most of the flavor's coming from whatever spice was put in it. It's a weird feeling, eating with others. For some reason, it makes me feel a sense of belonging, even though no one's saying anything. Don't really understand how that works. Guess it's something primal. A reminder of time when humans would gather around a fire for warmth and protection. Odd how something so simple can make you feel connected with others.

Still, it doesn't seem right that I feel like this. I've been away from home for months. My brother must be worried sick. To know he's home all alone makes the desire to return home even stronger. I know I can't get too comfortable here. I don't even know why I even feel like this. This world is exactly the same as my world, safe for some elements ripped straight from sci-fi. I wasn't a big fan of people back home, so what's makes this dangerous world different?

I stare at the people eating next to me. Asuka devouring her food then immediately placing another order. Rei slowly sipping the soup in her bowl and Misato wearing a defeated expression, probably worried about Asuka bleeding her bank account dry. This gets me to chuckle slightly.

"I'm gonna miss this place," I say just loud enough for only Misato to hear me. The woman looks at me questioningly. I decide to elaborate. "This world. I'm gonna miss it when I leave."

She looks shocked at first, then a warm smile appears on her face. "Really?"

"Yeah, kinda surprised myself," I look at my empty bowl while continuing to smile. "I used to dislike this world. Hell, to an extent, I still do. This world is so similar to my own, that it makes little sense why I'd enjoy being here so much. Shit, some things here are worse than back home, with the world constantly under threat and all."

"I guess I like it here so much because. . .some of the people here make it feel like a home," I continue while looking up slightly. "Made me feel like I. . .heh, I don't know. Made me feel like something."

I look at Misato with a smile on my face. "Guess what I'm trying to say is. . .thank you. Thank you for making me feel at home."

Her jaw hangs slightly as her eyes become watery. A soft smile makes its way onto her face as she wipes away any tears that may come. Before I can even react, the woman pulls me into a bone crushing hug. I was not remotely prepared for the hug, I wasn't even expecting that reaction! I awkwardly pat her back, hoping she'd eventually release me. But she keeps me in her embrace.

I never know what to do in these situations.

"Ummm. . .you can let go now. People are watching." I say as I spot Rei and Asuka staring at the situation unfolding. Rei tilting her head to the side, a sign of confusion, and Asuka holding back her urge to laugh.

Great! Never gonna live that down.

Misato starts laughing, refusing to let go.

"Sorry Mikey, can't do that. You're just gonna have to sit there and take it," she teases.

I groan. Should've kept my mouth shut.

* * *

Author's Notes: **Me:** **For thousands of years I laid dormant. Who dares disturb my slumber! ! !**

 **Le Guilt: Your guilt on not updating in months.**

 **Me: . . . Oh.**

Finally done with chapter 11! In case y'all are wondering, no it didn't take nearly six months to create this chapter. I was physically unable to make it. My internet was being a dick so I couldn't write or upload, so I ended up waiting for it to start working again. But when two months passed, I got guilty on not uploading anything, so I tried writing while in school. That didn't work because I was constantly looking over my shoulder, making sure no one knew I was writing. Turns out I can't write in public, go figure. Eventually, I gave up on the idea of writing at school and just sat around feeling guilty. Anyway, got the internet back up and running (sort of) so I immediately got back to writing, resulting in this chapter. Updates might take slightly. . .longer than usual, but this story won't end up being dead. I hate it when fanfic writers suddenly end their stories without even a warning, so trust me, I'll never do that. I'll let you all know if this story will die or not, I promise. But currently, it's still running strong. Kay, so enough of that. Hope y'all enjoyed the story and if you did, leave a review. I love reading those things. They're like a fucking drug to me!

(P.S. I know ya'll are probably tried of hearing me apologize every time I feel like I'm taking too long on the story. But as I explained, I feel guilty when I don't update. To keep from annoying you guys, I'll try to apologize less. Cause at this point, it feels like I'm being a kiss ass.)

Oh! Before I forget. **Thomas Drovin** and **justsomerealguy** got the name of the band from the last chapter correct. Congratulations! Gonna have to make the game harder though.

Chapter 10 Hint: The band was in one of the previous chapters, here's the hint; _Terry danced into the Dairy-cartel to drink, but George (the owner) kicked him out_. (Look closely at the words. What sticks out?) The name of the song is practically in the title of this chapter so it isn't really hard to guess.

See ya whenever I can post, hopefully in a week or two.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Recollect and Develop

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.**

Yesterday was weird. Probably odd of me to say such a thing considering I fight aliens in a fictional universe, but I still stand by what I said.

You see, Nerv recently got these things called "simulation bodies" and wanted to test them out. I never got a good look of those things, but apparently they were supposed to be updated versions of the Evas we're currently using. At least, that's how I understood it. Anyway, Ritsuko, ever eager to experiment on something, had me and the other pilots enter the "simulation bodies". Before we could do that however, we were first stripped naked, put into a chamber to be attacked by shower-heads with the water set to the highest pressure (this was done twice), then put into entry plugs attached to the simulation bodies (while still naked by the way). After all that, me and the other pilots spent the next thirty minutes trying to synchronize with those "upgraded" Evas. It was a weird experience. When trying to get in sync, I felt like I was becoming lucid. Like the entire world was a dream, and I was beginning to wake up. Oh, and the entry plug smelt like burnt toast.

That's when things went wrong.

The emergency sirens went off and I could hear people over the radio freaking the fuck out! Last thing I hear was Ritsuko ordering the technicians to eject all the pilots' entry plugs. I felt a familiar pressure in my chest as my capsule flew out of the "simulation body", launched out of Nerv HQ, then land in a one of the many lakes surrounding the area. It was two hours before Nerv employees got me and the other pilots out of our entry plugs. That was literally all that happened that day.

Like I said, it was weird.

Anyway, due to whatever happened in the Geofront, everyone (except the technicians and engineers) were allowed to take a break for a day. Which explains why Misato is with me this Saturday in a music store.

The reason we're in a music store is because we're searching for an acoustic guitar. And the reason for that is. . .well. . .I kinda entered my school's talent show. That's right, I entered a talent show. I'm surprised myself. Never thought I'd be doing something like that again.

The store is pretty large. It's separated into several sections, making the place look all organized. The place also reeks of old cigarettes and alcohol, so I don't necessarily want to stay here long. Anyway, Misato and I went into the part of the store which had a ton of instruments out in the open, begging for people to play them. Every time we came across an instrument (mainly a piano or drums) we would spend the next few minutes messing around with them. Eventually, we came across the guitar section and started exploring the area. Each of us scan the stringed instruments hanging from racks, searching for the perfect one. And by "perfect", I mean cheap. Still, the thing needs to not be total crap, despite its cheapness.

"Hm. These things sure cost a lot," Misato comments while staring at one of the guitars. Her tone shows she's in a somewhat somber mood.

I laugh slightly. "Don't worry Major. I'll make sure the thing isn't **too** expensive."

She gives me an annoyed look then lets out a sigh. She returns her attention to the guitars. "Still surprised you know how to play one of these things."

I pick up one of the instruments, inspecting both the condition and the price. "Yeah, I can play. But it's not that big a deal. I only know a few chords and can only play a handful of songs. I'm average at best." I return the guitar I was holding, seeing as it was too expensive.

Misato laughs. "You're always downplaying yourself."

I shrug in response.

We continue searching the store for a bit. Eventually, I come across a guitar which might be the one I'm looking for. The instrument looks exactly like the one I had back in my original home. It has a black fretboard and a tan body with the word "Yamaha" printed on the instrument's head. Upon closer inspection, parts of the guitar has been chipped off, and the body has small scratches on it. Just like the one I use to have.

The condition of the instrument probably means it's cheap. Finding the price tag confirms my theory. Taking the guitar off the rack, I find a nearby stool, sit in it, and strum the strings for a bit. The thing's slightly out of tune, but the sound it makes brings a smile to my face.

"Think I found it," I tell Misato while presenting the guitar.

"Great, though you should test it out before we decide on buying it," she produces a mischievous grin. "How about playing me something."

I deadpan. "What?"

"Come on, don't look at me like that," she teases.

"I'm not playing in here," I state.

"Aww, why not?" she mock pouts. "I'll be good practice."

"Because I don't want to," I respond. "Besides, I'll practice once we bring this thing home."

"Don't tell me you're nervous," she once again teases which is slightly annoying. "You're going to be playing in front of an entire school, so playing one song here shouldn't be a big deal."

I pause for a moment.

"I haven't played in a while," I admit. "So I want to get some practice in, privately."

"Come on Mikey. Pleeeease," the Major begs. What the hell? Is she really giving me the puppy dog eyes?

" *Sigh* Fine! Just stop whatever you're doing," I tell her partially annoyed, partially embarrassed. She responds by doing a small fist pump.

I swear she's more kid than adult.

Since the guitar's out of tune, I start twisting the tuning pegs, trying to get the instrument to sound just right. It only takes me a few seconds to get the instrument tuned before preparing myself for my little "performance". I usually use a pick when playing guitar, but I don't see any around. Should search the store for them later.

There's a moment of silence as I attempt to decide on which song to play. Since it's my first time playing in a while, I should naturally play the first song I learned on guitar. So I start playing Diary of Jane.

I play the intro of the song by individually strumming two strings on the guitar. After the intro, I begin strumming all the strings as my fingers dance across the second and third fret. Almost instinctively, I begin humming the lyrics to the song. Don't think it's loud enough for Misato to hear. Still, I feel slightly embarrassed by my humming.

As the song reaches its chorus, my strumming quickens as my fingers dance into their positions. I'm completely in my own world as I'm reminded of all the times I would play guitar at home. No one taught me how play, I had to teach myself. I learned most of the chords and finger placements by just messing around. When I started using the internet, I would learn new songs by bringing up a video of someone playing guitar and try copying them. Practically every second, I would pause the video just to see the finger placements or strum patterns. In hindsight, it was probably the worst way to learn guitar. I would spend an hour analyzing a three minute video just to learn one song. But, I guess it wasn't a total was of time if I learned the song in the end.

I decide to end the song at the chorus, since there's no sense in playing the whole thing in the store. I end the song by strumming individual strings then allowing the notes to hang in the air for a few seconds. Silence eventually replaces the song's notes. I open my eyes, just now realizing I had them close the entire time, and catch a glimpse of Misato. She has the biggest, dumbest smile on her face.

"That was **really** good Michael!" she compliments. I hold back the urge to roll my eyes. She's just exaggerating.

I let out a scoff. "Sure whatever. Let's get going."

I get out of my chair and being walking to the front of the store where the cashier is. Misato follows after shrugging at my lackluster response.

While walking there, Misato decides to say something. "I gotta say, this is all pretty last minute. You said the talent show begins around 5:30, right?"

I nod. "Yeah. I would have had more time to prepare, but Toji only told me about the event yesterday." Though, if I paid more attention to class announcements, I probably wouldn't need to rush. But that's besides the point.

She lets out a sound of acknowledgement and smiles. "Still, it seems pretty out of character for you to actually go through with this."

I scoff. "I'm only doing this because Toji told me to. Kensuke's in the talent show and he's a nervous wreck. Toji thought having me participate would calm Kensuke's nerves."

Misato giggles. "If you say so." I roll my eyes at her playful comment. "Will you be ready till then?"

I nod. "Yeah, I'll be ready." I then take a look at my new guitar.

Just will take a little practice.

* * *

As soon as Misato and I got home, I became dead set on practicing for the talent show. Wanted to practice in my room, but the place has no windows, so essentially I'll be playing in the dark. So, I decided to practice on the apartment's balcony.

Now, I made sure to let Misato know I wanted her **not** to listen in on me. I want to be alone when practicing. It seems the woman has a hard time listening because I would catch her every now and then spying on me. I literally had to chase her away in order for me to be alone. The woman eventually gave up on her attempts to see me play and went to her room. With that problem solved, and with Asuka not home yet, I finally have a few moments to myself.

I spend some time practicing bits and pieces of different songs, trying to decide which to play for the talents show. I'm slightly nervous for the upcoming event, I can't help it. I'm not gonna **just** be playing guitar in the show, I'll also be singing. Due to the way I play guitar, if I just play a song by itself, the tune will sound repetitive. In order to avoid this problem, I'll have to sing. I'm not looking forward to that. I mean, this isn't the first time I did something like this. I've done it before when entering a talent show back in my original home. But it was a one time thing, and I never expected to do something similar again.

Anyway, I've decided on a few songs, but none of them. . . feel right. I don't know why, but most of them feel either too "bland" or too "complicated" for me to be playing for the school. I don't know why I'm so invested in this! I'm only entering the stupid show because Toji asked me to. So it shouldn't be this hard to decide on what stupid song to play!

I spend a few more minutes strumming random chords until something pops into my head.

Hurt.

It's the last song I learned before arriving in this world. Though, now that I think about it, it might be the perfect choice for the talent show. It's a slow song, so my chances of messing up while playing is low. The only relatively difficult part comes when strumming the individual strings; but I've done that so often it shouldn't be that much of a hindrance. Also. . .like I said before, it's the last song I learned before coming here. So, I kinda feel obligated to play it.

With this in mind, I begin practicing.

The next thirty minutes are spent just playing the song without me singing. As expected, I messed up on the parts of the song which requires me strumming individual strings, but that's why I'm practicing. When my mistakes become minimal, I start playing while singing. I don't know what is it about singing which causes me to fuck up. I guess it's because my brain's having difficulty doing two different things simultaneously. At times, I would either play the wrong chord or my voice would sound like someone strangling a child. Eventually, I practice one final time, this time with no noticeable mistakes. Slightly proud of my myself, I decide to take a short break. My fingers are sore, which is to be expected. I haven't touched a guitar in months.

There's a sudden clapping near the entrance of the balcony. Thinking it's Misato, I turn toward the entrance, preparing to tell her off for listening to me play. Much to my surprise, it isn't the Major. Instead, Asuka's there, leaning against the balcony's entrance with a genuine smile on her face. I become slightly embarrassed knowing the redhead was listening to me this whole time.

"Hey, that's pretty good," the redhead compliments, taking me by surprise. She rarely ever does that, so I'm not quite sure how to feel at the moment.

"Uh. . .thanks. I guess," I respond.

Asuka seems to sense my confusion, so she rolls her eyes in response to my words. "Geez, learn to take a compliment."

I raise an eyebrow then let out a short laugh. "Well excuse me for being surprised that you're being 'nice' for a change."

"What are you talking about? I'm always nice," She crosses her arms then points her nose in the air dramatically. This gets me to laugh even more, which amuses the redhead.

"So what's the occasion," she asks while pointing at my guitar.

"Talent show," I respond.

She looks surprised. "You're competing?"

I nod.

A devious smile makes its way onto her face. "Well then, guess we'll be competing against each other."

I pause for a moment until it finally hits me. Of course Asuka entered the talent show. The girl lives off of competition. " *Sigh* Should've known. What will you be doing?"

"I'll be playing violin," she states. "Haven't decided on which song to play, though it doesn't matter. I'm sure my performance will be perfect as always."

"I'm sure it will," I respond sarcastically. "How long have you been playing?"

"Started playing when I was a toddler and never stopped since," she responds causally, which causes my eyes to nearly to pop out of their sockets.

"That long," I ask, awe still painted on my face. She nods. "That's. . .impressive."

"Thanks for the compliment," she responds, her face now donning a smirk. "But that won't make me go easy on you Fourth Child."

I roll my eyes, but a smile makes its way onto my face. "Sure, whatever. I'm not planning on winning anyway. I'm only entering the show because Toji asked me to."

A short laugh escapes her lips. "If you say so." She walks closer to me. "So, how long have you been playing?"

I hum a bit. "About a year."

"You had an instructor?"

I snicker as I shake my head. "Naw, I taught myself." For some reason, a wave of nostalgia washes across me. "I actually was pretty lucky to even get an instrument of any kind. My family wasn't exactly the richest. Was only able to get a guitar by annoying my mom so much, she got the instrument to shut me up."

That gets a laugh out of Asuka.

"Learning to play was a real pain in the ass, yet I enjoyed it," I continue. "Felt like I accomplished something every time I learned a new chord or song. It's silly, but those times seem to be one of the few happy moments in my life."

The mood becomes somber. Why am I telling her this?

"Now that I think about it, I miss being able to play guitar."

Asuka raises an eyebrow. "If you miss playing so much, then why are you only doing so now?"

"I didn't bring my guitar when I entered Japan. Just got this one from a shop today," I say as I tap the instrument.

"What stopped you from bringing you own guitar when coming here?"

I frown. Instinctively, I reach for the cross hanging around my neck but stop myself. "Must've slipped my mind."

The redhead immediately took the hint and didn't ask any further.

Eventually, Asuka went to her room. I can hear her playing a violin in there. I know Misato didn't buy her one, so it must be one of the things the redhead brought from Germany. Though, why hasn't she played the instrument until now? Guess I'll ask her when I feel the need to. I go back to strumming my guitar, which again, brings back memories of home.

The look on my mom's face when she gave me that instrument. It was one of the few times she actually seemed happy to be around me. How pathetic is that?

* * *

It's around five in the afternoon. Asuka and I are at school, speaking to a teacher with a list in his hands. The list has the names of all the participants entering the talent show in the order of when they'll be performing. The guy took forever to find both of our names which was annoying. When he finally lets Asuka and I backstage, he informed us of who will perform before either of our names were called. I committed the name to memory and thanked the guy while entering backstage.

The whole place, while not packed, was still full of a lot of students. All of them are either talking to each other or are practicing their acts. When the students spot Asuka, some of them began fawning over her. Guess people are finally getting over the redhead, for the amount of people worshiping her has dwindled a bit.

Moments later, I'm on a stool practicing my act while speaking to a very nervous Kensuke.

"Oh man! M-Maybe this was a bad idea!"

"You'll be fine," I tell Kensuke while strumming my guitar. "Remember to breathe."

"What if I mess up?! What if I make a fool of myself in front of all those people?!"

"Don't you already make a fool of yourself?" I strum a few more notes then adjust one of the tuning pegs. The sixth string was out of tune.

The brunette gives me a sour look. "Very funny," he shakes his head. "Aren't you nervous."

"Of course."

Kensuke throws his hands in the air. "Then why do you seem so calm?!"

I roll my eyes. "Because I got out all my nervous jitters hours before I got here."

The brunette hangs his head, not really liking my answer.

Man this guy looks pathetic.

Letting out a sigh, I get off the stool then pat Kensuke on the back. "Trust me, you'll do fine. I've been in a talent show before, so believe me when I say that ninety percent of your fears are in you head." Well, that's a slight exaggeration, but he doesn't need to know that. "Just, look at the wall behind the audience and not the audience themselves. That'll make you feel less nervous. Got it?"

Kensuke lets out a long exhale then smiles. "Yeah, I got it. Thanks."

I grin slightly. "No problem."

Suddenly my phone vibrates. Looking at it, I see a message telling me to meet someone near the backstage entrance. The message was sent from someone I had least expected.

Rei.

During my entire time knowing her, she's never called or texted me. Not even when I was late to tutoring. She seems more comfortable speaking to me face to face. Kensuke, being nosy as always, peeks over my shoulder to see my phone. He got a stupid smile when he saw the message and encouraged me to meet up with Rei. I let out a sigh, flip him off, then head to the entrance.

When I get to the entrance, I open the portal and find Rei standing on the other side. Surprise paints my face as I realize she isn't wearing her usual getup. Instead, she's wearing a milky white one piece dress, and has a white summer hat on her head. In her hands is a blue box which could easily fit into the palm of one's hand. She displays her usual blank expression as she takes notice of me.

"Uh. . .hey," I say, still shocked at her new appearance. I then smile. "I see you're finally wearing that dress I bought you."

She nods. "I thought it to be appropriate."

I chuckle at her comment. She's all dressed up for a talent show? "So, why'd you call me here? You're not in the show, are you?"

She shakes her head. "I'm here to. . .support you. To wish you 'luck'."

I pause. That's. . .quite a shock. Rei seems to notice my surprise and comments on it. "This is unexpected?"

I nod.

"How come?"

"Well. . ." how do I put this? "You usually don't do that sort of thing."

She pauses. Crap, hope I didn't say something to-

"It's what friends are supposed to do, correct?" Rei questions.

I open my mouth to say something, pause, then laugh a bit. "Yeah, I guess so."

I look back at the girl and she seems to be fidgeting. Is she nervous about something?

"I've also come here to. . .give you this," Rei says in almost a whisper. She presents the blue box she's been holding in her hands, waiting for me to take it. I stare at the object for a second then take notice of Rei's expression. She has a blank stare, though it's mixed with something resembling embarrassment.

I smile at the blue haired girl as I take the gift from her hands. "Thanks." I open the box and see a purple hairband. Floral patterns are stitched into the object and a metal cross is also attached to it. The cross itself is stylized and is bedazzled a bit. It has blue and red plastic gems on each of its corners. These gems also shine if the light hits them just right.

It's a small gift, and is a bit on the girly looking side. But for some reason, it makes me feel extremely cheerful.

"Rei, did you make this?" I ask.

She nods. "I noticed your old hair-band was slightly damaged, so I thought you might need a new one."

"I love it!" I tell her, which seems to put her as ease. I take off my old hair-band, only now noticing how tattered it was. It was probably due to being soaked in LCL so much. Anyway, I put the old object in my pocket then wrap the hair-band Rei made me around my dreads. "Think this thing will bring me good luck?"

Rei doesn't get it's a joke, for she's genuinely thinking of an answer. "I do not believe so."

I start laughing while shaking my head. "We'll need to work on your sense of humor." Her cheeks turn pink at my comment. "Anyway, thanks for the gift. It's. . . nice to see that you care." I try to sound sarcastic as to not to sound sappy.

A small smile appears on her face. She once again wishes me good luck as she exits the backstage. I go back to where Kensuke is and, again, he seems to be freaking out. I shake my head in disbelief. Eventually, I go back to practicing on my guitar.

As soon as it's 5:30, the principle of the school went on stage. He started going on this boring speech, talking about how proud he was of his students or how there's a variety of talent this year. After he was done with his long winded speech, the actual show began.

The first few acts consisted of people singing, rapping, or dancing on stage. The singers and rappers were okay so far, but the dancers were a sight to behold. There was this one guy, he was jumping and flipping around stage. At one point he started spinning on his head for what felt like a minute. The moves were impressive to watch, and become even more impressive once you realized he did all these stunts in rhythm. There was a roar of applause when he was done with his act.

Kensuke's act finally came up. The guy was clearly nervous; his constant shaking was an obvious sign of that. Being backstage, I whispered to the guy, trying to encourage him to get on with his act. Hearing this, Kensuke started his magic act by calling a volunteer to the stage. It was going to do some type of card trick, but the brunette dropped all his cards. His face turned bright red after that mistake. But, after some encouraging, he started to show some confidence. He had participants pick a card and he'd correctly guessed which card they had. He made objects disappear and reappear in people's pockets. By the end of his performance, people were applauding him. The guy took a bow and went backstage, fully confident in himself. When I asked how he did all those tricks, he gave an answer almost any magician would give. "A true magician never reveals his secrets."

A few more acts pass before it comes close to my turn. The guy before me is a comedian, and judging from the audience's reactions, I'd say he's pretty decent. I take a few breaths as I repeat the lyrics of the song I'll be playing. I strum some of the song on my guitar (quietly), checking if I remembered all the chords.

The comedian's act ends, which causes the audience to applaud. The principal then calls my name, and describes what I'll be doing, which is a sign for me to get off my ass. The audience claps as I walk on stage. The stage is actually pretty high up now that I'm standing on it. Also the stage light are nearly blinding. I have to cover my eyes briefly before they adjust. There's a stool in front of the stage microphone, put there so I could play guitar while sitting. I sit myself in the stool and lower the mic, prepared to speak.

"H-Hey," I stutter slightly into the mic. I then frown. My voice sounds weird. "So. . .the song I'll be playing is Hurt, the Johnny Cash version. Hope y'all enjoy."

My fingers hover over the correct frets as I become laser focused on the task at hand. I ready my pick and am about to play until some shouting breaks my concentration.

"You go Michael! Woohoo! ! !"

I instantly recognize the voice as Misato and groan slightly. I wave in the direction her voice was coming from and get myself set again.

Just breathe.

After letting out a long exhale, I begin strumming the guitar strings individually, playing the intro. I allow the guitar to sing for a bit before doing so myself.

" _I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel._ "

I keep my eyes closed which helps me focus on my playing. I can imagine my fingers dancing around the guitar's neck as the song's lyrics leave my mouth.

This song, I remember hearing it in some old restaurant my family and I were eating at. There was this old, yet well taken care of, jukebox in the corner of the restaurant playing Hurt. I recognized the singer as Johnny Cash, but only because my mother would always point out his music anytime it would play in a movie or tv show. The song stuck with me, though, I never figured out why. I loved the song so much that immediately after hearing it, I searched for it on youtube and had it on repeat for god knows how long. Every time I listened to it, I learned more about it. Like, the song was originally made by Nine Inch Nails, and was an allegory for drug addiction. Johnny Cash's version seems to be about legacy, though that's just my interpretation. Yet, for some reason, the song always felt personal. Like there was another meaning it had which represented apart of myself.

" _What have I become, my sweetest friend. Everyone I know, goes away in the end._ "

My strumming increases in intensity as I put more feeling into the song. It feels like there's a lump in my throat, yet the feeling doesn't seem to affect my ability to play. I once again reach the chorus of the song and the lump in my throat seems to get bigger as a pit develops in my stomach. It takes me a moment to realize the feeling is sadness, and it takes me even longer to realize why.

The intensity of my playing increases as I reach the climax of the song. The song's lyrics reminds me of some personal thoughts and emotions I felt at a time. Things I still feel from time to time. Bitterness, anger, longing, fear. But the most intense at the moment is a feeling of pure isolation. The feeling of loss.

Guess that's what the song means to me.

" _I would find, a way._ "

As I end the song, I let the sound of the guitar hover in the air for a few seconds. The sound eventually fades, replaced by silence. I look at the audience, expecting some kind of reaction. Eventually, a roar of applause echoes across the building, silencing the fear I had of them hating my performance. Misato, of course, is making the most noise. Somehow, her howls of praise are louder than the surrounding audience. It's honestly a ridiculous sight. She's acting like a mom seeing her son walk for the first time.

The rest of the night was filled with excellent performances. Each of the acts seems to be better than the last. The last performance of the night was Asuka playing her violin. She playing a song I didn't know, some classical music. Even though I'm not a big fan of classical music, the song Asuka was playing was nice to listen to. The song seem to have a lullaby melody to it, which captivated the audience. When the performance ended, everyone gave a standing ovation. Due to the audience's reaction, it came as no surprise when it was announced that Asuka was the winner of the talent show.

When heading home, the redhead made a big deal about her winning. She wouldn't shut up about it on our entire way home. I didn't even make it to fifth place in the talent show, so that elevated the redhead's hubris even higher. It was irritating, but I let her have her moment. After all, the talent show isn't that big a deal.

When we finally got back to Misato's place, I immediately went to my room and plopped onto the bed, completely exhausted. I close my eyes, attempting to get some rest, until something pops into my head.

Rei.

The girl has changed a lot since I first arrived. She actually went out of her way to not only wish me luck, but to give me a present. Her doing something like that is almost completely out of character for her, not that it's a bad thing. I feel proud to be able to see her express herself. I don't know why, but seeing her like that just makes me happy.

I pull out Rei's hair-band out of my dreadlocks to look at it. My lips mold into a smile.

It's a small gift, probably not impressive to some. But it's proof. Proof of how much she progressed. Proof that she's not some emotionless "doll" as some would call her. It's proof, that she's human. I can only hope Rei knows that.

My smile becomes even wider as another thought pops into my head.

Tomorrow, I'm gonna give her something.

* * *

It was sometime in the afternoon when Misato drove Asuka and I to Nerv. It was for a harmonics test, as usual. But apparently, there was gonna be something new after we've finished the usual testing. What it was, well, Misato didn't know. Though she was confident the new test wouldn't take up much of our time. I just nod in agreement with the Major as I look at the gift box lying on my lap. Asuka asked a few times about the box, but I just ignored her.

When we entered the Geofront, we noticed some of the electronics seemed a bit. . .glitchy. Like, sometimes the card readers wouldn't work or some of the computers' screens would freeze. What ever happened two days ago was probably what caused the glitches. Misato said Ritsuko would be able to fix the place within a few days. Until then, we'll have to deal with all this.

Minutes later, me and the other pilots are in our plugsuits, readying ourselves for a harmonics test. I wanted to speak to Rei alone, so I managed to convince Asuka to leave me and the blue haired girl alone for a few minutes. The redhead seemed upset for some reason, though she eventually just started teasing me before walking off. So as of now, Rei and I are in an elevator which will be heading to our destination. I'm holding the gift box behind my back, partially hiding it from the girl.

I decide to get her attention. "Hey Rei. I want to once again thank you for coming to the talent show."

The girl looks at me, displaying her usual blank expression. "It was no trouble. I found the experience. . .enjoyable."

A smile makes its way to my face. "Anyway, since you gave me a gift yesterday, I thought it would be fair to give you one in return." I present the gift box which I was only partially hiding and display it to her.

Usually Rei would begin to question why I would do such a thing, or would tell me I didn't need to trouble myself with this. But, instead of that usual response, she just stared at the object for a second then took it. The girl then opened the box, revealing a small, but thick book with a hard cover.

"It's a book of poems," I clarify to her. I begin scratching the back of my head. "Thought you'd enjoy something like that since you like to read so much." I let out a chuckle.

Rei continues to stare at the book. "Hart. . .do you feel obligated to care for me?"

The smile I had turns into a slight frown. "What do you mean?"

Her hands shake a bit. "You know there are hundreds of others like me. That if I were to disappear, there are others which could easily take my place."

"Rei we talked about this-"

"I know," she interrupts, voice slightly raised. "I know you believe I am. . .unique. But, I don't understand. You put so much effort into understanding me, yet, I have difficulty understanding a great many things. I don't understand why you believe I am unique. I don't know why you smile when you around me. I don't understand why you are so caring. I don't understand all these alien emotion which seem to be consuming me. I don't. . ."

She stops her mini rant for a moment. I'm afraid she's going to cry, but not a tear stains her face. "It's just. . .too much."

I take a moment to think about what Rei's saying, then I collect my thoughts. "Like I told you before, I know what it's like to feel worthless."

She looks at me, absolutely shocked. "But, you're not worthless."

Those words resonate deep within my heart. That's the best way to describe the emotion I'm feeling right now.

"You're probably right," I respond, chuckling a bit. "But it's how I feel. You already know why."

This whole situation reminds me of that night long ago. The night when I bawled my eyes out while telling Rei how much of a failure I was. The night, I decided to trust Rei as a friend. Back then, I realized me and her were similar. Now, I realize how similar we really are. Rei is doing the same thing I did that night, albeit more composed. The walls she's created are tumbling down, leaving her heart out in the open. And that scares her.

"I know this is all confusing to you," I tell her while walking closer. "You've probably never had a friend before. Everyone you knew up till this point either thought you were weird or was using you. Am I correct?"

The girl pauses for a moment, then slowly nods. I let out a sad sigh. My chest seems to be tightening. Though, I'm able to continue speaking.

"Even though I disliked my world so much, I did manage to get a few friends. Don't ask me how, I still don't know myself." I laugh at myself for a moment before continuing. "I never understood why they stuck around, but I guess I should've realized it didn't matter. I felt so happy to be able to talk to some people I felt comfortable around. But due to certain. . . 'circumstances', I pushed them away. I isolated myself, somehow convincing myself it was the right thing to do. That. . .they would be better off without me."

I inhale deeply, trying to keep the tears at bay. "I stopped trusting people. I believed that trusting others would eventually lead to pain and loss. That is, until I met you." I look at Rei in those crimson red eyes. "Rei, I know there's nothing I can say right now to convince you that I genuinely care about you. But, if you'll just take a chance, just like I took a chance with you, then I promise, I will always be there for you. I will **never** abandon you, and I will **never** hurt you."

She stares in awe at me, as she holds the book I gave her closer to her chest.

"You. . . promise?" she asks in a child-like voice.

"I promise," I give her the biggest smile I could muster.

She pauses for a moment, then smiles as well. The whole area is quiet, yet, there's a feeling of utter comfort at the moment. I feel happier than I really should at the moment. Hell, I just said the corniest shit ever. But, it seemed to make her happy, and I guess that's all that matters.

The elevator shakes, causing Rei and I to lose our balance. When it comes to a sudden stop, Rei falls onto me, causing me to fall into the floor. Rei lies on top of me, just staring. The serene atmosphere has now transformed into an awkward one.

I smile. "Hey, don't **fall** for me now. We're just friends remember?"

Usually these jokes just fly over her head, but this time, it looks like she's processing what I said. When it looks like she got the joke, her cheeks turn a deep shade of pink. That's gets a laugh out of me. But what she did next was something I'd never expect in a hundred years.

She laughs.

At first it was a small chuckle, then it increased into a full on belly laugh. She gets to her feet and holds a hand over her mouth, trying to cover her laughter. The way she laughs is the funniest shit I've ever heard! Every few seconds she'll let out a high pitched hiccup, and when she tried to stop that, she starts snorting. The whole scene and the disbelief of it all gets me to laugh boisterously.

" *Chuckles* Seriously," I say, trying to catch my breath. "Out of anything you could choose laugh at, you laugh at my stupid pun!"

"I *Chuckles* apologize Hart!" says Rei, forcing herself to calm down.

We eventually calm down when the elevator begins working again. When we reached the testing room, we told Ritsuko about the elevator and she said she'll look into it. Moments later, me and the other pilots finish out harmonics tests. This left Ritsuko to do something new. She had Rei and I switch Evas so we could try to connect with them. It was called a "mutual compatibility experiment". Guess the doctor wanted to see if it was possible to have pilots use another's Evangelion. Though, for some reason, Asuka wasn't part of the experiment. Besides me feeling weird in Unit-00, nothing went wrong.

Everything went off without a hitch.

* * *

Author's Notes: And another chapter has been finished! This one is more chill compared to the others. Though, I felt there was a need for the characters to have a short break before they head deeper into the story. So, that's basically how the concept for this chapter came to be. Anyway hope you guys enjoyed the story so far.

Chapter 12 Hint: Can't think of a clever hint for the band's name, so I'll just say that they're initials are "HLH". The song's name is partially within the title. It's a reference to memories and photography.

See y'all whenever I can post.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: The Haunted

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.**

"I'm sorry. Could you repeat that?" I ask, not quite believing the words coming out of Ritsuko's mouth.

The faux blond woman smiles in responds. Despite her messy hair and the bags under her eyes, she's full of energy. It's as if her discovery alone is enough to fuel her. "I said, we've found a way for you to return home."

A tugging feeling pulls at the inside of my throat, preventing me from forming coherent words. My grip on my chair's handles tighten in order for me to remain upright. I close my eyes for a moment, breathe in through my nose then exhale through my mouth. After breathing for a few rounds, I manage to calm myself down. It still feels like caffeine has been injected directly into my veins, but I'm fine nonetheless.

A smile molds onto my lips as I dare to hope. "Are. . .Are you sure?"

A short laugh escapes the doctor's lips as she gets out of her chair, stepping away from her desk. "Perhaps it would be easier to show you instead of simply telling you." The woman urges me to follow her as she exits the office. I dumbly walk after the woman as I attempt to clear my mind.

It's been an hour since Ritsuko invited me to the Geofront. The woman called Misato ten at night, raving about some important discovery, and that I need to get to HQ as soon as possible. To say that the Major was unhappy is an understatement. Anyway, a tired Misato had to drive me to Nerv while questioning why she's friends with Ritsuko. The woman dropped me off then flat out fell asleep in the car (which was pretty funny). When I finally talked Ritsuko, she spent the majority of our time talking about the science behind her discovery. In hindsight, she probably did that to ease me into the reveal that she found a way for me to get home.

Still, never in a hundred years did I expect to have the possibility of returning home. The very thought causes my heart to beat a million times a minute. It's almost too good to be true!

The sound of machines running and orders being thrown about brings me back to the present. Ritsuko has led me to a large lab, filled to the brim with people in lab coats. Just by looking at their faces one can tell they haven't slept in quite a while. Yet, despite their tired demeanor, the entire place is lively. There's people running around inspecting computers or some other important looking devices. Others walking while balancing so many stacks of paper that it seems almost comedic. So much is going on, yet everyone seems like they couldn't imagine being anywhere but here.

Ritsuko leads me to an employee working on a particularly large computer. Just looking at the screen makes my head hurt, for I can't understand anything on it. And no, it's not because what's written on the screen is in Japanese, I can read that just fine now. I meant that the amount of foreign symbols and equations on the screen made it seem like a completely alien language.

The employee in question turns out to be Maya. When she notices Ritsuko's presence her eyes brightened up, as if the doctor's presence alone was enough to keep the brunette energized.

"Doctor Akagi!" Maya piped up. "All the files has been set up, just as you ordered."

"Good," the doctor responds, patting Maya on the shoulder. "Bring up the surveillance footage."

The brunette nods as she types a few keywords into the large computer. This action brings up some footage of a city street with a crater in the middle of it. Surrounding the crater is some yellow tape, as well as some people with guns (just in case the yellow tape wasn't a big enough hint to stay away). Inside the fenced off area were people wearing Nerv uniforms. These people were either working on laptops, setting up machinery, or scanning the area with something which looks similar to a Geiger counter.

Recognition soon dawns on me. "That's. . . that's where Shinji fought the third Angel."

"It's also where we found you," Ritsuko adds. "We've been surveying this area for a long while now. We've even closed down this street so civilians couldn't contaminate the area. That street is a popular route, so you can imagine the complaints we got."

That actually causes me to laugh. The doctor continues. "Remember when I told you we've found slight 'radiation' coming from not only you, but the place you were found?" I nod. "Well, we've been studying the radiation, trying to find its exact source. You see, with how faint this energy is, it should have dissipated a long time ago. Yet, we're still detecting it. The only explanation is that something's supplying the area with this energy."

I gave Ritsuko a look which clearly demanded for her to get to the point. In response to my nonverbal command, she told Maya to show what the street looks like outside the visible light spectrum. Maya typed away and the footage changed. Everything became devoid of color, as if the whole world turned into glass. The only color in the area was this purple mist which I assumed was the "radiation". Following the mist, I found where it was emanating from. There is a glass sphere spewing out the stuff. The area around the sphere became distorted, like ripples in a pond. This whole thing looks strikingly familiar, yet I'm having a hard time believing what I'm seeing. After all, I've only seen it in movies.

"A wormhole," I say in almost a whisper. "It's. . .It's a wormhole!"

Ritsuko chuckles. "Of a sort." She raises her hand to stop whatever response I was gonna give. "And no. No physical object can pass through this 'wormhole'."

I pause for a moment then speak up. "So only energy can get through?"

The doctor smiles. "Yes, so as you can imagine, that 'radiation' wasn't the only thing this anomaly emitted." Ritsuko briefly takes control of the computer. "We picked up faint traces of radio waves emitting from this thing, so we decided to record them for around forty-eight hours. We had to filter through a ton of noise to get any proper data, but this is what we came up with."

She brings up a file which shows an undulating line moving in tandem with a strange noise. The sound is a mix of something which seems like wind blowing and some creature howling. There's also a bit of static mixed in, but the unique sound is clear as day. For some reason, the sound made me feel calm, as if it was some sort of lullaby. When the file was done playing the sound, I look at Risuko questioningly.

"What was that?"

"That is what happened when we turned the radio waves into audible noise," Ritsuko explains. "What you just heard were sounds similar to what our satellites pick up when listening to Earth."

I give the doctor an odd look before it all clicks together. "Wait. You're saying you're detecting a different Earth? **My** Earth?"

Ritsuko nods. "Upon further analysis, we've found the frequency of the radio waves emitting from the 'wormhole', are nearly identical to the radio wave frequency Earth emits."

She crosses her arms, a confident smile plastered on her face. "I'm eighty percent sure that on the other side of that anomaly, is your home."

I stare in awe on at the screen, trying to process the information I've been given. "Can we send a signal through the wormhole?"

Ritsuko shakes her head. "No. Any signal we attempt to send through just bounces off. The wormhole also only stays open for about seventy-two hours before closing. Three weeks later, it reappears and the cycle continues. As you can see, with such a short window of time to work with this anomaly, it makes it difficult to study."

Disappointment finds its way into me. A shame. I was hoping to send my brother a message, telling him I'm alright. Hell, I was hoping to contact **my** Earth's NASA to see if they know anything about the wormhole. I mean, they must've found out about this thing too, despite how Nerv has the technical advantage. But, my disappointment quickly washes away as hope fills my heart. This is a step in the right direction.

"When do you guys think you can get the wormhole working?"

Ritsuko raises an eyebrow. "You really think we can control this anomaly?"

"You wouldn't have called me here if you couldn't," I respond.

She chuckles. "I suppose so." The woman thinks for a moment. "It's difficult to say, but at the rate we're going, I'd say we'll be able to send physical objects through the wormhole in about. . . a year. That's me being generous."

Ritsuko goes on to explain the science behind trying to stabilize a wormhole while my mind wanders.

This is huge! There's a chance for me to go home! It's literally within my grasp! I almost entertained the thought that I would stay here forever. But now that I know I can go home, I feel the most overwhelming sense of joy.

I let out a chuckle.

Soon, this will all be over.

* * *

The last few days has been great!

I mean, nothing much has changed since I first arrived in this world. I still go to school. I still learn from the same boring old history teacher. I still go to Nerv if I'm needed there, and at the end of the day, I return to Misato's place.

But the fact that I can return home at any moment, just brightens the days I spend here. Though, that's not the only reason why I've been so "chipper" these past few days.

Ever since our talk a week ago, Rei has been more open around me. Others might not have noticed much of a change, but it's subtle. She smiles more and is showing more variety in her emotions. Our talks has been less one sided. She actively attempts to start conversations, and she actually began speaking her thoughts out loud. Recently, she's been interested in understanding her own emotions. Those particular talks ranged from amusing to slightly uncomfortable; though, she did seem to find some enjoyment in making me feel awkward. Anyway, the point is that she's happy, like genuinely happy. I'm just glad I was able to help her get out of her shell. I think. . .she'll do just fine.

Yeah. . .she'll be fine without me.

A hand covers my field of vision. The appendage moves side to side, as if it's trying t get my attention.

"Hey. Is anyone home?" asks the person attached to the hand.

I roll my eyes. "Yeah Toji, I'm here." I then lightly slap his hand away from my face.

The guy chuckles as he takes a bite of some candy he got from the school's vending machine. "Sorry, had to make sure. As soon as Kensuke mentioned Rei you went into 'la la land'."

I deadpan. "You guys are never gonna stop, are you?"

"You're finally catching on," Toji boasts, getting me to groan.

"Besides," Kensuke chimes in, leaning in close as if he was going to say something scandalous. "You really expect us to believe nothing's going on between you two?"

"You have been getting your head in the clouds these past few days," Toji says casually.

I roll my eyes. "That has nothing to do with Rei," Well. . .not fully. "Just recently got some good news, which is rare in my line of work."

That gets Toji's attention. "Well? Don't leave us in the dark. What's the good news?"

I pause for a moment and think carefully about what I'm going to say. I obviously can't reveal too much, but I can give them the basic details. "I've. . .I've been given a chance to return home."

"A chance?" Toji questions. Even Kensuke has a inquisitive look. "What, you mean like you couldn't go home before?"

I shrug. "I guess that's accurate."

"Why is that?" Kensuke questions. "Does it have something to do with being a pilot?"

"A bit." Technically I'm not lying.

The conversation ends for a moment, replaced with a slightly uncomfortable silence. Toji and Kensuke seem to suspect I'm not telling the full story. The tone of my voice must've hinted at something. Eventually, Toji speaks up, having decided that this silence was too uncomfortable.

"Sooo. . .what was your home like?" He asks.

"Yeah! America must've been way different from Japan!" Kensuke chimes in, also not liking the silence.

I'm about to speak up until a numbing feeling spreads across my body. I feel almost nothing when thinking about my home. Like, anytime I try to recall something that might be interesting to Toji and Kensuke, nothing comes up. The numbness eventually morphs into a kind of sickness in my stomach. It's not that strong a feeling, yet it's noticeable.

All this time I've been thinking about returning home. Thinking about finally seeing my brother again, and maybe speaking to whatever few friends I have. But, now that I think about it, like **really** think about it, I hate the place. The very thought of returning to that house with **her** there just. . .

"It's, you know. . .home." I respond curtly.

The silence returns, this time bringing along a somber mood. I attempt to shake off that feeling, but it's already dug its claws into my gut. A minute passes before Toji's lips twist into a smirk.

"Just thought of something. Before lunch, you let Rei braid your hair." Toji raises an eyebrow while continuing to smirk. "I don't know about you, but that seemed pretty girly to me."

Kensuke snorts out a laugh as I glare at Toji.

"I. . .you. . .you know what?! No. You're not getting to me!" He has no idea how hard it is for me to twist my dreadlocks by myself! I just asked Rei to help me out. There's nothing 'girly' about that!

Speaking of Rei, here she comes now. She walks over to the table my friends and I are sitting at, and casually takes a seat next to me. This is pretty out of character for her since she prefers to eat alone, so the look on Toji and Kensuke's face was priceless. Eventually, we all begin talking about mundane things. Rei would chime in every once in a while if the conversation drifted off to something she was interested in. Again, the looks on my friends' faces were priceless. They're just not use to Rei speaking this much. Looking at the girl, I see a slight, barely noticeable smile on her face. If I didn't know any better, I'd assume Rei is amused by Toji and Kensuke's reactions.

Lunch eventually ends so everyone goes back to class. During one of the teacher's boring lectures, my mind begins to wander. When I really think about it, I've been extremely lucky so far. I was lucky Nerv didn't dissect or kill me on sight when I was found. I was lucky to survive my first fight against an Angel, even though I was constantly failing the battle sims at the time. I was lucky when Toji and Kensuke decided to befriend me. . .even after what I did to them. I'm lucky that Misato seems to genuinely care about me, and that Rei is someone I can always count on.

I'm gonna miss this place. I've already accepted that fact but, it's just so hard to believe. I mean, this is a world which shouldn't exist, filled with fictional people. Yet, these "fictional" characters are my friends. Back home, I barely had any real friends. But here. . .I've got a butch of people I can talk, joke, and have meaningful conversations with. Meanwhile back home, I only have one person to talk to. One person I can be myself around.

There's a choice which needs to be made, and honestly, it seems like a no-brainer. Just stay here and abandon my chance to go home. I mean, I seem more happy here. But, I can't do that. I'm not gonna abandon my brother. What kind of person would I be if I did something like that? Besides, everyone here will be fine without me. Think about it. There's an anime and several movies detailing this world's inhabitants, and they all did fine before I came into the picture. There's no reason to believe my absence would cause a great hole in their lives, right?

They'll be fine.

 **. . .**

Yeah. They'll be fine.

* * *

I keep my breath steady as my mind remains clear for the remainder of the harmonics test. My fellow pilots, each in their own entry plugs, are also undergoing the same test. These tests have been becoming easier as of late. Where as before, I would struggle just to stay connected with Unit-01, now it's as easy as breathing. That feeling I had when first entering the Eva, the feeling of something burrowing into my soul, has become less noticeable. These tests has become so easy that I almost fell asleep at some points. Hell, there was a time when I **did** nod off and was still synchronized with Unit-01.

"Alright, you're all free to relax now," Dr. Akagi informs, which gets me to laugh silently.

I hear a bit of commotion up in the control room, as if someone was having a hard time believing something.

"Mikey! You're not going to believe this!" Misato says over the radio, getting me to groan at the nickname she keeps using.

"Yeah? What is it?" I respond.

The entry plug's display screen begins showing a bunch of scores, each with pilot's name next to the corresponding score .

"You've got the highest score!" the woman says excitedly.

This. . .is actually a pretty good surprise. Though, now that think about is, it really shouldn't be. My sync ratio has been steadily increasing lately. There were times when I would tie with Asuka's score, which the redhead didn't particularly like. But, I never expected to actually get the highest score. This brings a slight smile to my face.

"What?! You've gotta be kidding me!" Asuka yells over the radio. "This must be a mistake!"

Aaaand, there she goes.

"Sorry Asuka, there's no mistaking it. Michael got the highest score." There's a bit of sympathy mixed into Misato's words. "But, I'm sure you'll do better next time."

The redhead growls out a few words in German before pausing suddenly. There's a sharp intake of breath before Asuka speaks up again, albeit in almost a whisper. I wouldn't have caught any of her words if I wasn't paying attention. That's how quiet she was. "No way. Even her?"

I'm assuming she's talking about Rei's score, so I once again look at the display screen. My eyes nearly pop out of my head when I see the blue haired girl's score. She's tied with Asuka.

Rei always gets the lowest score, I never understood why. She has the most experience with Eva, yet her sync ratio always remained low. But now, her score skyrocketed! Maybe it's due to her being less withdrawn.

Ritsuko dismisses us, so we all exit our entry plugs. Asuka walks up to Rei and I then glares at us. Her fists are shaking, as if she's holding back her urge to throw a punch, which was concerning. Though, I feel most of her pent up aggression is being directed at Rei. The redhead eventually calms down, lets out a scoff, then walks off. I'd probably be for the best if we avoid Asuka.

After taking a shower in the locker room, I get dressed and start my journey to Ritsuko's office. Rei tags along, wanting to just hang out. The path to Ritsuko's office is relatively sort, but Rei and I take out time getting there, enjoying each other's company. Eventually, I decide to strike up a conversation.

"So, how does it feel to have the same score as Asuka?"

"I feel. . .satisfied with my progress," Rei responds tentatively. "Though, I believe pilot Soryu is unhappy with this new development."

I wave off her concern. "She'll get over it. She always does." My lips mold into a smile. I wanna try something. "Though, I wonder if your score improved due to our. . . 'personal' time together?"

The effect was immediate. The girls cheeks turn a deep shade of pink as her eyes go wide. "You're teasing me."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I say while playing innocent.

The girl silently giggles. "It's seems the Major's personality has begun to influence yours."

I let out a chuckle while shrugging. "No arguments there. Guess it was bound to happen."

We both go into a comfortable silence before Rei speaks up again. "I was informed that Dr. Akagi has found the possibility of you returning to your world."

I pause, not exactly sure what to say. "Yeah. . ."

"I'm. . .happy for you," she smiles. "You are a step closer to your goal."

There's sincerity in her voice, but her smile feels forced. I'm about to point this out but she cuts me off. "Hart. I have never told you this, but I am grateful you decided to befriend me."

I scratch the back of my head while silently laughing. "Yeah, well. . .it's not that big a deal."

She shakes her head. "I disagree. You spoke to me when no one else would. You've never treated me differently, even though you know what I am. While others see me as odd, you saw me as. . . 'unique'. You showed me that I am more than just something to be thrown away." She gives me a genuine smile as she blushes slightly. "I am lucky to have met someone as. . . kind as you."

A warmth spreads in my chest just by hearing her words. They're nice to hear, and I'm glad she feels that way. . .but I don't deserve her praise. I mean, did she forget our first encounter?

"Kind? I'm not so sure about that."

Rei chuckles. "It is true. Perhaps you just need to have more faith in yourself."

I let out a snort as my smile returns. "Yeah, guess you're right."

We continue our talk until we reach Ritsuko's office. She bids me farewell as I enter Dr. Akagi's domain. The doctor just took some of my blood then spent the next hour explaining her findings about the wormhole. Eventually, after receiving all the information needed, I return to Misato's place.

Around seven at night, I begin cooking some food for tomorrow. The food I make is never complicated or something you'd see in a five star restaurant. The meal just comprises of rice, meat or fish. Maybe I'll add some spices to add a little flavor, but that's about as fancy as my cooking gets. Usually, I only cook for myself but. . .I decided to make an exception and prepare something for Asuka. The girl hasn't said a word since we got back to the apartment. She's obviously upset, but she refused to speak to anyone. Misato tried to get Asuka to open up, but after an hour of trying, the Major gave up and went to bed. Now Asuka's just sitting in front of the tv with a frown permanently carved into her face. I figured making the redhead some food would cause her to calm down and, you know, not rip my head off.

When I'm done cooking, I put the food into two separate containers then put them in the fridge. Looking at the trashcan, I see it's full which makes me sigh in annoyance.

"Hey, it's your turn to take out the garbage." I tell the redhead while heading to the sink to clean dishes. The girl may be upset, but it doesn't give her the right to dodge her responsibilities.

Her response is immediate.

"Oh? Is the Fourth Child too great to dirty his hands?" She asks, voice dripping with sarcasm.

There was a certain "venom" in her tone which caught me completely by surprise. I mean, she always has something sarcastic or insulting to say to me; but this feels different. Like there's this malicious aura around her.

"What crawled up your ass? I just asked you to take out the trash, jeez!" I dry my hands on my pants then took the trash bag out of the trashcan. "If you're gonna be a bitch about it then I'll do it."

As I'm carrying the bag to the front door, the redhead speaks up again. "So the great Fourth Child decides to lower himself to our level. I'm soooo honored."

This time she didn't even bother to hide her disdain. I decide to ignore her and continue walking to the door.

Before I get within three steps of the front door, the redhead storms over and gets in front of me. She jabs a finger in my chest as her lips curl into a snarl.

"Don't! Ignore! Me!" She emphasizes each word by jabbing her finger in my chest. "Just because you got a taste of victory doesn't mean you're all that! You and the First Child got lucky on that sync test and nothing more! So wipe that self-righteous look off your face! You're better than no one!"

I'm dumbfounded, then annoyed. "That's what this is about?! Some stupid sync test?! I couldn't care less about the damn thing, and I don't think I'm better than anyone! So back off!"

The girl lets out a mock laugh as she now points her finger in my face. "Yeah right! I've seen you and the First talking behind my back! Plotting and planning. Just waiting for the day I slip up, just so you and that bitch can look down on me! **You** , some nobody who wormed his way into getting his own Eva! And **her**. . ." Asuka's voice deepens as she becomes more frustrated. "Some idiot who can't even think for herself! Someone who's nothing more than a pathetic doll!"

I glare at the redhead. "Leave Rei out of this!"

She gives a challenging smirk which still radiates some deep rage. "Why should I leave her out of this? Am I hitting a nerve just by mentioning your 'girlfriend'?" I narrow my eyes as she continues her rant. "I shouldn't be surprised that you and her ended up in a disgusting relationship! You two deserve each other! You both probably screw like animals whenever no one's looking! Tell me Fourth, how does it feel to be fucking a doll?"

I drop the trash bag and look into her eyes. This girl. . .this fucking girl! She blows the simplest things out of proportion! If I do one thing marginally better than her, she takes it as a personal insult! Like I'm somehow physically damaging her just by doing better! And once again, she's directing all that rage to Rei for some reason. She always hated the girl, I never understood why. But I'm not gonna stand for this! I'm tired of getting into these kinds of arguments with Asuka.

I'm done with this girl.

"I think I finally understand you," I tell her calmly which catches her off guard. "I've dealt with your kind before. I've been surrounded by idiots like you my entire life." I walk closer to her. My eyes see nothing but red. "You want. . .no, you need the spotlight to always be on you. You thrive on the attention of others, because it makes you feel powerful. It makes you feel like you actually matter." A short laugh escapes me as a smirk crawls onto my face. "That's why you hate being ignored. That's why you attack Rei and I if we slightly do better than you. It's because deep down, you feel helpless. Deep down you know, without your bravado, without your Eva, you're nothing." My smirk becomes bigger. "And you hate that, don't you?"

Asuka's not smiling anymore. "Don't pretend you know a thing about me."

That gets me to laugh. "You're not as complicated as you think! You're pretty much an open book! You're an attention whore who hates the thought of losing! That's it! You're so fucking childish that it's laughable! Why are you so starved for attention, hmm?" I then start speaking in a mocking tone. "What, did mama never hold you when you where younger?"

Her eyes widen slightly then narrows.

Wait, it's all coming back to me. That night when she was sleepwalking, crying for her mother. That's it! It's so simple. So pathetic!

"That's it, isn't it!" I say, laughing at the very thought of the "Oh so great Asuka" acting out because of mommy issues. "You had a bit of trouble with mommy, so now you don't play well with others."

"Don't," the redhead warns. But I don't listen.

"What's wrong, mommy never gave you attention?" I say, continuing to mock her. "Mommy never gave you good night kisses? Mommy never read you bedtime stories? Mommy never held your wittle hand?"

"Stop," the redhead demands, hair covering her face. I continue to ignore her.

"Mommy wished you were never born?"

I almost didn't have time to react to her right hook, it came so fast. Quickly, I bring up my arms and block the attack, though the force of it nearly knocks me off balance. The impact leaves both my arms feeling sore real quick. She's a lot stronger than she looks.

The moment I locked eyes with the redhead, I witnessed something which sparked a bit of fear in me. Angry doesn't even begin to describe how she looks. Her teeth is bare and her eyes are the widest I've ever seen them. She looks like some beast ready to rip her prey to shreds. Her killer intent radiates across her entire body, and is nearly suffocating.

She lets out a feral scream as she readies herself to attack. I get ready to defend myself before, out of the blue, someone pushes past me and grabs Asuka, preventing the redhead from getting to me.

When did Misato get out of her room?

"LET GO! LET GO OF ME! ! !" Asuka screeches.

"Calm down!" The Major responds, actually struggling to keep the redhead still. Misato then glares at me. "What did you do?!"

"What did I do?" I say, surprised she's accusing me of starting something. "She started it!"

"That's not what I asked!" Misato snaps.

Her conversation with me is cut short as Asuka continues to struggle against Misato's grip. Eventually, the redhead managed to escape the grown woman grasp, but she's calmer now. The girl looks at me with dead eyes before a disdainful expression sears itself onto her face. The girl storms off into her room then slams the door. Misato then returns her attention to me, not looking particularly pleased.

"I'll asked again. What did you do?" She asks. . .no, demands.

"Again, she started it!" I tell her. "She was going on a rant about how she thinks I'm some sort of asshole! So I just insulted her and pointed out all her shitty behavior! She then went crazy and tried to fight me!"

" *Sigh* You know what, it doesn't matter!" The Major snaps, clearly tired of this. "It doesn't matter what you said exactly, you clearly crossed a line! Tomorrow you **both** are going to apologize to each other. The last thing I need in this place is the two of you trying to kill each other!"

"I'm not apologizing!" I snap back at her. "I meant every single word I said to Asuka and I'm not taking back any of it! Asuka can feel as miserable as she wants, just as long she leaves me alone!"

"You're going to apologize," the woman states.

"Or what?" I challenge. "You're gonna 'send me to my room'?"

"I. . .Ugh, I can't deal with you like this!" Misato states as she walks to the fridge and pulls out a beer. "I'm going to bed." She goes to her room and practically slams the door.

The place becomes deathly quiet. I'm all alone. The only thing to keep me company is the trash bag. I become slightly angry at Misato. How come she was taking Asuka's side?! The redhead has always been trouble in the past, and Misato knows it. Yet, she's defending the redhead's shitty behavior? That makes no goddamn sense!

Silently fuming, I pick up the trash bag then take it outside for it to be picked up. The night air is kinda nippy, so I go back inside as soon as possible. I wash up, go to bed, and hope this all blows over tomorrow.

Sometime later in the night, I'm awoken by the sound of crying. Due to the proximity of the noise, I know it's coming from across the hall, from Asuka's room.

It was faint, but my lips twist into a smile.

* * *

A new Angel has been spotted, meaning me and the other pilots were sent to the Geofront. When there, we were given information on this new creature. To make things brief, we have no idea what this thing can do. It's a floating, zebra colored sphere which hasn't done a thing since it arrived. It just floats around the city aimlessly, which is behavior similar to the fifth Angel. The thing has an eerie aura to it, even more than the usual Angel which makes no sense, it's just a floating sphere. Anyway, Ritsuko made a comment about not knowing whether this creature's an Angel or not, which is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I mean, what else could it be?

Asuka barely said a word since this morning. If someone were to ask her something, she would respond with either a grunt or a scoff. Rei noticed the redhead's demeanor and asked me about it. I smiled and told her it was nothing to worry about. Asuka, seeing me and Rei talking, finally spoke up and said "Shut up. We got an Angel to kill". I rolled my eyes at her comment then head to my Eva.

Moments later, me and the other pilots are in our Evas, equipped with weapons we think might be useful against the spherical creature. For a change of pace, I've equipped Unit-01 with a Sonic Glaive since sonic based weapons seem to be the most effective against Angels. The weapon also gives me the range I need so I can poke at the creature then run if need to. As for Unit-02, it had a Sonic Axe, or as it's more commonly known, "The Smash Hawk". It's shorter than the glaive, but from the look of the blade of that thing, it can probably rank up a ton of damage. Finally, Unit-00 is equipped with a sniper rifle, wanting to attack the Angel at a distance. That, and Rei's better with that thing than Asuka and I.

"Alright, remember to all keep your distance and observe how it reacts," Misato commands over the radio. "If you can, try to lead it out of the city."

After receiving our orders, we all began approaching the creature at a snails crawl. We kept just enough distance for us to run if need to, but was close enough to get a good look at the Angel. Rei barely moved her Eva, since she had the perfect sniping position. Asuka and I, meanwhile, hid behind a few buildings in an attempt to remain out of the Angel's sight.

The thing hasn't done much. It just floats between buildings without a care in the world. It's like it's waiting for something.

"Misato, it hasn't done anything yet. What now?" I ask.

"Alright, one of you get its attention then try to lead it out of the city," The Major commands. "But only on my mark."

I nod then come up with a brief plan. If the creature has a long distance attack then all I have to do is rush it and use the glaive to pierce its core. . .where ever that is. If I miss, I can just back off and Asuka can distract it with her axe, while Rei provides cover fire. Even if the creature's proficient in close quarters combat (which is kinda hard to see), the same plan could still work.

"Why don't we just let Michael take control of this mission," Asuka asks in a sarcastic tone.

"What?" the Major questions, confused at the redhead's suggestion.

"I mean, it's only natural that the one with the highest sync score should lead the mission," Unit-02's head turns to me. "Wouldn't you agree, Michael?"

I see what Asuka's doing. Fine, let's play.

"Why thank you, but I have to refuse. Wouldn't want to take the attention away from you," I reply sarcastically. "After all, you're a bit sensitive about that."

"What? Why you. . ." the redhead seethes.

"I mean, I would ask **you** to lead the mission since you're 'The Best Pilot in the World'. But, I feel this position would be too difficult due to your lack of *cough* 'mental stability'."

Asuka says nothing so Misato decides to step in.

"Okay you two that's enough!" The Major orders, but I'm on a roll.

"What's wrong?" I ask mockingly. "No comment about how 'great' you are?"

"Hart, that is enough!" Rei orders, snapping at me. This caught me completely off guard.

Why is she defending Asuka? She of all people should have little reason to care about the redhead.

"What? But I. . ." I let out a sign and resign myself. "Fine."

A loud sound goes off next to me causing me to look in Asuka's direction. Unit-02's fist is embedded inside a building.

"I DON'T NEED HELP FROM A DOLL LIKE YOU! ! !" Asuka screams, her voice almost becoming hoarse.

"AND YOU! ! !" A holographic screen appears on my display screen, revealing Asuka's furious expression. "I'LL SHOW **YOU** WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A REAL PILOT! ! !"

Without warning, Unit-02 charges at the Angel, axe raised to strike the creature.

"Asuka! Get back here!" Misato yells over the radio.

Everyone's yelling at her, demanding her to come back. But she won't listen. She's completely determined to take out the Angel all by herself. I even begin yelling at her, thinking she's crazy for charging directly at the spherical creature without any sort of plan. The closer she gets to the Angel, the deeper the pit in my stomach becomes.

The red Eva jumps into the air and uses its axe to take a swipe at the Angel. The axe went through the Angel, but no visible damage was taken, like the creature's some sort a of ghost. The creature disappears as a great shadow grows underneath Unit-02's feet. The shadow then begins to devour the Eva!

My blood goes cold.

"What is this?!" Asuka panics. Her Eva moves erratically, trying to prevent itself from sinking deeper into the shadow. But no matter what the Eva tries, it continues its descent into the shadowy pit.

Rei begins shooting the Angel, but as soon as the bullets make contact, the creature disappears. This results in the shadow getting even bigger, swallowing the surrounding buildings.

"Rei, stop shooting and get to higher ground!" I yell as I climb up a building. The girl immediately commands her Eva to get on top of a tall building to get away from the shadow.

The building I'm standing on is sinking, but it's a slow descent so I can get a quick survey of the area.

The whole city seems to be sinking! Like the entire area was built on top of quicksand! Looking at Unit-02, I see it's now waist deep in the shadow and is still trying desperately to escape. Asuka's panicked cries echoes against the walls of my entry plug, giving me a clear idea of how the redhead's feeling at this exact moment.

My breath stops as my stomach fills with clay. An overwhelming sense of fear and guilt washes over my form, nearly drowning me. I just stare as Asuka sinks deeper into the belly of the beast.

I didn't want this. I didn't want Asuka to attack the Angel on her own. I didn't want her to die because of me! I just wanted her to leave me and Rei alone! I was just tired of her condescending attitude. Tired of the insults. Tired of the constant mood swings with her! I just wanted her to hurt so bad that she'll think twice before messing with me! But I never wanted her to die! That was never my intent!

And yet, this is still my fault.

I jump off the building, attempting to get as close to Asuka as possible.

"Michael!" Misato cries out. "Rei, catch him! Don't let him touch the shadow!"

"I'm fine!" I say before Rei can do anything.

All Angels attack with their A.T. Field. Whether it comes to flying, shooting lasers, or transforming, it all comes back to the A.T. Field. And an A.T. Field can be canceled out by another field.

As I make my descent to the shadow, I raise Unit-01's A.T. Field to its max and prayed this worked. As my Eva touches the shadow, it begins to sink, but only by a small amount. I push myself even further to raise the Eva's field. I eventually stop sinking all together. Wasting no time, I run towards Unit-02 and reach out my hand. As I grab the red Eva, my field weakens, causing the shadow to devour Unit-01's legs.

"Huh?" I hear Asuka question.

"I'm gonna throw you now," I tell her. Using all my strength, I pull her out of the shadow and toss her to the nearest building. This action causes me to sink further into the shadow. Now only my chest up is above ground.

Asuka, expertly twists her Eva in mid-air so it could land on the building I had thrown it to. The Eva pauses as if it were surprised I did such a thing.

Now only my neck is above ground.

"You. . .YOU JERK! ! !" Asuka screams at me. "I didn't ask for your help! I didn't want or need your help! You should've just left me you bastard!"

The girl continues her rant as I sink deeper into the shadow. I'm oddly calm throughout this entire situation. I guess I've already accepted the possibility of death.

Heh, this sucks. Dying for someone I don't even like. What a pathetic way to go.

"Asuka," I say, interrupting her rant. My Eva's head is nearly consumed by the shadow. A few more seconds and I'm gone. Despite this fact, a smile appears on my face. "Shut up."

Everything goes silent as I become fully consumed.

* * *

Odd.

Being consumed by a shadow, I expected to be taken to a place that was. . .well, dark. Instead, I'm surrounded entirely by a white void. There's no ground, no sky, no up, down, or any way to determine my orientation. The Eva just floats around in an endless void, the only company being the occasional floating building. No sound can be heard outside my entry plug, it's just complete silence out there. The radio can't get a signal, so it's next to impossible for me to contact Nerv.

I'm in a pretty bad situation. The Eva's umbilical cable was yanked off when the Angel's shadow swallowed me. So now I have limited power. Luckily, Nerv trained me and the other pilots to shut down everything except the life support system if ever we were in a situation like. . .like this I guess. Though, this isn't exactly something to jump in glee for. I only have around sixteen hours of power. Sixteen hours of doing absolutely nothing. Sixteen hours of waiting to either to be saved. . . or to die.

Maybe there was another way for me to save Asuka as well as myself. Perhaps if I just thought for a second longer, I could have came up with a better solution.

I could've also not antagonized Asuka in the first place. For a matter of fact, why did I do that? I got her off my back last night, so why did I mess with her during the mission? If I had something to say to the redhead, it could've been done after we killed the Angel. That way. . .I would not have to deal with being in here. Wherever here is.

 **. . .**

Sleep.

Yeah. A bit of sleep wouldn't hurt anybody. When I wake up, I'll think of a way to escape this place.

/ / /

Two hours has passed. During that time, I briefly powered up the Eva into order to use it's A.T. Field to escape. After thirty seconds of doing that I quickly went back to life support. That action alone took away an extra hour of power. Great. I'm such a fucking idiot! Now I have like. . . thirteen hours of power left? Yep, just checked. Got thirteen hours left to live.

To be honest, I might even got less than that. An Eva, even one switched to life support, isn't suppose to run for this long. It just takes one thing to break down for me to get fucked. Like, oh I don't know, the LCL filter which keeps the liquid oxygenated so I can keep breathing. So in short, I can't rely on the internal battery to keep me alive. I need to find some way to escape this prison. But how?

/ / /

Maybe this place is white because of all the light it absorbs. Perhaps the suction of the Angel's shadow is so strong, it makes it impossible for light to escape. So it all becomes trapped here, making this place completely white. It's like a black hole in a way.

 **. . .**

There are multiple problems with that theory. If the suction was that strong, then I shouldn't have been able to pull Asuka out of the shadow. Secondly, the amount of light needed to make this place completely white would burn my Eva to a crisp. At the very least, looking at the place would cause me to go blind. I mean-

AM I SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!

I've been trapped here for a total of seven hours, and all I can think about is how white this place is?! I've got eight hours left to live! I need to think of a way out of here! I should send a signal, a letter, something to let someone know I'm alive! Maybe the outside has breathable air?! I could just step outside then float out of this place! Is that wishful thinking? Sure. But I need to do something! I can't just sit here until death takes me.

But. . .what exactly can I do?

 **. . .**

Asuka was right. I should've left her.

/ / /

IT'S HORRIBLE! ! ! EVERYTHING SMELLS LIKE BLOOD! ! ! I'M CHOKING ON THE SMELL! ! ! THE TASTE! ! ! I CAN'T STAND IT! ! ! GET ME OUT! ! !

"GET ME OUT! ! ! I HATE IT HERE! ! ! HELP ME! ! ! SOMEBODY HELP ME! ! !"

God help me! Pleeeeeeaase! God save me!

God save me! ! !

"GOD SAVE ME! ! !"

 **. . .**

I'm gonna die here.

/ / /

A room.

I'm in a small, confined room sitting on a wooden chair. Everything around me seems to be made of polished wood except for the exit on my right. This exit is an opening obscured by a red cloth. This cloth makes it nearly impossible to see what's on the other side of the exit. For some reason, that's comforting.

Anyway, in front of me is this latticed window which, to my surprise, reveals that there's someone on the other side of the thing. Though, due to the way the window was made, I have a hard time seeing who this person is.

This place. . .it's a confessional. Remember being forced to be in one by my mother. Don't remember what I said to the priest at that time. I think I just confessed that I stayed up past my bedtime to watch tv. Damn, how old was I then?

But, why am I here now? Wasn't I somewhere else? You only go to a confessional if you have something to confess. But, I have nothing to confess.

"Are you sure?"

A voice. Must be coming from the person on the other side of the window. He's gotta be the priest but. . .he sounds too young. For a matter of fact, he sounds exactly like me, just. . . younger.

"Who are you?" I ask "the voice".

"That is a good question, but one which is irrelevant as of now," says the voice in a manner which betrays his apparent age. "Now, allow me to ask the same question. Who are you?"

"I. . .I'm. . ." What is this? Why is this so hard? "I'm. . .Michael. Michael Hart."

"Are you sure?" the voice asks which gives me pause.

". . .What do you mean?"

"I mean. Is Michael Hart your true identity?"

Why does that question disturb me? Of course I'm Michael. Who else would I be? "Why am I here?"

"To confess your sins."

What?! "I have nothing to confess."

"Quite the contrary," the voice retorts. "You have much to confess. Or, do you not remember the times when your rage has taken over. The times when you've hurt people."

I pause. Hurt? Did I hurt people?

 **. . .**

My mind's all fuzzy.

"What are you talking about?"

"How quickly you forget. Do you not remember your first encounter with Toji? A time when you attempted to strangle the life out of him."

A memory comes to me. I feel myself wrapping my hands around his neck and squeezing. The rage pulsates through my entire form every time Toji tries to stop me. A sickening feeling of joy encompasses me as the boy's eyes flutter between states of consciousness.

My stomach starts tying itself into several knots. "That. . .that was an accident!"

"I also suppose attacking Kensuke when he was attempting to save his friend was also an 'accident'," the voice points out. "I suppose the times you've hurt Misato with either your words or you actions was also an 'accident'. There were even times you've wanted to hurt her physically. Those thoughts, were those 'accidents'?"

More memories flood into my mind as this voice describes my past. Me wanting Kensuke to leave me alone, to not interrupt me. . .strangling Toji. The times when I've said things to Misato to make her hurt. That one time when a dark thought crossed my mind. The time I discovered Shinji's last thought. The time, when I discovered I was willing to do horrible things to Misato just to make her pay for what she's done.

That isn't me! Those times, that wasn't me! I refuse to believe it!

"Shut up."

"And let's not forget Rei. You've acted cold to her during your first encounter, avoiding her whenever you could. Then when the time came to choose your life over her's, you chose your life due to a simple truth which prevailed through your mind. That her life was worth less than yours."

"Stop it!" I growl at the voice. My skin feels like it's on fire. My heart beats faster and my eyes hurt. "That was then, and I already faced the consequences of those actions! So back off!"

"What consequences?" it asks. "Feeling sorry for yourself then apologizing later? That hardly seems like a consequence. Wouldn't you agree?"

I say nothing.

"You believe you have changed. That some part of your personality, the part which constantly burns with anger, has completely vanished. But this is false. One only needs to witness your treatment of Asuka for proof."

Rage seethes within me. "She deserves it!"

"You are justifying this behavior?"

"YES! I mean. . .no. I mean. . ." My chest is tightening.

"You enjoy causing others pain."

"Fuck you! You don't know a thing about me!"

"It is the truth whether you like it or not," the voice states, sounding slightly distorted. "You see everyone around you as an annoyance, as less than human. That's how you've always been. You only consider people as slightly human if they can make you feel better about yourself. That is why you push people away, for you see them as a waste of time. That is why the person you're closest to in this world is Rei. She has little knowledge of how the world actually works, so you manipulate her into making her think you are the pinnacle of how humanity should act. And if she displays an undesirable behavior, you 'improve' her."

"Take that back! I do **not** manipulate Rei! You take that back! ! !"

"You've created a reality where using others is the only way to gain happiness. And if you're unable to gain happiness through their love, then you gain it through their pain. This beast, your true self, feeds on the suffering of others. It sustains you, makes you strong. It distracts you from how weak you really are. It gives you the illusion that you have power over the world. That is why you constantly feed this beast, this embodiment of pure, burning anger. And that is why no one is safe from this beast within. Not your classmates, not your friends. . .not even your brother."

My heart sinks. "What?"

"Don't tell me you have forgotten," the voice, who up until this point was devoid of emotion, now sounds slightly amused. "Well, allow me to remind you."

The atmosphere changes. Everything feels wrong. It's like the confessional's trying to suffocate me.

"You and Shane got into a fight. You don't quite remember what it was about, but things quickly escalated."

Recognition soon dawns on me. I cover my ears, not wanting to hear this. But I can still hear that **thing's** voice!

"Shane hit you out of anger, and began yelling. You could not comprehend his words. It was all blocked out by your seething rage."

"Shut up!" I close my eyes, but can see the event playing through my mind. I can feel everything that happened. I can feel the anger!

"You felt betrayed," the voice continues, seemingly enjoying my suffering. "How dare he push **you** around. How dare he yell at **you** and speak down to **you**. How dare he get in your face and look at you with contempt. Your blood boiled. You saw only red."

"Stop it! STOP IT! ! ! STOP IT ! ! !" I feel tears pouring out of my eyes as my breathing stutters.

"You hit him. You didn't stop hitting him until he fell to the floor. He tried to get up, he tried to walk away, but you wrapped your arms around his neck. Then you squeezed."

I feel sick! I feel physically sick! I don't wanna think about this! I'm starting to hyperventilate! I can't seem to catch my breath!

I try to block out what the voice is saying, but I can't! Every time I close my eyes, I see the memory as clear as day! Every time I cover my ears, the voice pierces through my hands like nails on a cross! I grab for the cross hanging around my neck, my only source of comfort. But even that's turned against me! Every time I grab the thing, it burns my hands as if I was some sort of. . .of. . .

"You squeezed until he begged for air. You squeezed until his arms went limp. Shane could have fought back. He could have gotten out of that situation in a multitude of ways. But him, being the 'good little brother', didn't want to hurt you." The voice becomes even more distorted. "And you know what you did?"

". . ."

"You smiled."

My fingers dig themselves into my skin.

"By some miracle, you let him go before things could get worse. But that look on his face. That look of betrayal and pure terror. That always stayed with you. Hasn't it?"

". . ."

"You are destined to hurt everyone around you. This is the truth you wish not to believe." The voice states, now sounding completely distorted. "So, I'll ask you once again. Who. Are. You?"

The confessional bursts into flames. The fire consumes everything. It licks and devours my flesh, but I don't mind the pain. The walls burn down, revealing who I was talking to. It looks like me. That's all I can think. It. Looks. Like. **Me**.

"A Devil."

* * *

Ten minutes.

I have ten minutes left to live.

The LCL, which is usually clear when the Eva's functioning, becomes visible, turning the world into a crimson red. The crimson liquid burns my lungs every time I take a breath. Breathing's becoming a struggle and everything smells like death.

The world around me is dying. I'm dying, and there's nothing I can do about it. And I'm absolutely okay with it.

God, the Devil, whatever the thing was that spoke to me, was right. I'm not some person but . . .something else. I hurt everyone around me whenever given the chance. And I'm not gonna stop! I'm gonna keep doing it till the day I die! Why? Because that's what I am! I **do** like hurting people! Their pain **does** make me feel powerful, just like that voice said! It's sickening! It's disgusting! But it's true.

I don't deserve to be saved. I don't deserve my friends, my family. . .I don't deserve to go home. That hurts. That really hurts. The realization that if I go home, I'll end up hurting my brother. It's only a matter of time, for I've done it before. Even if I don't hurt him physically, my presence there would only cause him more pain. As long as I'm there, **she** will always hurt him. It'd be better if I disappeared. I wasn't any use to him anyway. I'm not any use to anyone.

Maybe that's why **she** hates me.

This is what I deserve. Anything else would have been too good for me. All I have to do is sleep. Anyone can do that, even a screw up like me. Just sleep, and make it all go away.

" _Hart!_ "

That voice. . . Rei?

" _Hart! Please come back!_ "

She sounds like she's in pain. Like, genuine pain. I've never heard that in her voice before. Not even when she was nearly boiled alive by the fifth Angel.

" _Michael. I'm sorry. I. . .I don't know what to do_."

Misato?

Voices. A ton of voices are calling out to me. They're begging me to come back. Begging me to not give up.

It's too late though. I've already accepted my fate. Besides, even if I wanted to leave, I don't know how. I'm nearly out of power, so there's no point in fighting anymore. Just give up. Just sleep, and let all the pain wash away.

I'm sorry everyone.

" _You idiot!_ " A loud, brash voice wakes me from my short slumber. " _You jerk! I didn't ask for your help! But you just had to show off, just so you can be a hero!_ "

Asuka? Why is she upset? Why does she care?

No, ignore her. There's nothing she or anyone else can do. I'm trapped down here.

" _I hate you!_ " The redhead continues, much to my annoyance. " _You had no business getting between me and my battle! If I was gonna die, then let it happen! I would rather die like a warrior than let anyone do so in my place, as if I were some helpless damsel! It's disgusting, pathetic, and idiotic! You had no right to do that!_ "

Shut up already.

" _You better not be dead!_ " She continues screaming. " _I won't let anyone die for me! It's an insult to me as a pilot! So if you're dead, I'll never forgive you!_ "

Shut up!

" _You hear me Fourth?! I said I'll never forgive you! ! !_ "

Oh my god!

"WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP! ! ! "

As soon as I let out that yell, my skin began to hurt, like it was burning. It hurt like hell, but my anger made me move through the pain. Then, something weird happened. My Eva bursts into red flames as a red beam shoots from Unit-01 and into the "sky". The "sky" then tears open as pillars of flames dance around the newly formed opening! Shortly after, I see something fall from the opening, attached to what looks like a rope.

Suddenly the radio starts working, and a brash voice begins speaking through it.

"Don't just sit there! Move!"

Asuka?! How did she. . .? Did I. . .?

"Come on!" Unit-02 reaches out its hand. "We don't have much time, and I can't reach you unless you move your ass! ! !"

Move? How am I gonna. . .

The thrusters! I have just enough power to get them working! But will it be enough to get to her!

"Michael! GET YOUR ASS IN GEAR! ! !"

No time to hesitate! I activate my Eva and forward all the power to the thrusters. The effect is immediate. I'm soaring at high speeds toward Asuka's Eva. Upon further inspection, the "rope" it's hanging onto is an umbilical cable.

I command Unit-01 to reach out and grab the red Eva's hand. At that moment, I ran out of power. Immediately, I began choking on the LCL. I had to hold breath in order to prevent any more liquid from entering my lungs. I'm powerless to do anything. I'm in Asuka's hands now.

Unit-02 grabs my Eva's hand tightly then looks up at the rip in the "sky". It's getting smaller.

"Rei! Now!"

The cable Asuka's hanging onto begins reeling in at great speeds, taking me and the redhead to the slowly closing opening. When we pass through the opening, I'm greeted with Unit-00 holding the umbilical cable Unit-02 was using to get to the surface. But what immediately caught my attention after that, was the swarm of military aircraft in the sky.

Unit-02 threw my Eva to the ground as the rip in the Angel's shadow closes. Unit-02 stood in front of my Eva protectively, raising its A.T. Field as the shadow grows bigger. Unit-00 spreads its arms out, seemingly raising its A.T. Field as well.

"Fire, now! ! !" Asuka commands, obviously talking to the people piloting the aircraft.

Upon Asuka's command, the aircraft drop a bunch of, what I assume is N2 bombs, into the growing shadow. Immediately after, a blinding light emits from the shadow as Unit-02 and Unit-00 use their fields to contain and funnel the blast.

I pass out.

You know that moment when you fall asleep but just wake up without remembering any dreams you may have had? Well, that's what it felt like right now. Like I knew some time had passed, but in my mind, only a second passed.

" _Michael! Michael! Wake up! Please!_ "

A few drops of. . .rain? Tears? Falls on my face as a voice calls out to me. I open my eyes slowly, feeling more tired than I've ever felt in my entire life, and look up at the person speaking.

"Michael?" says Misato, though right now, she just looks like a blob of colors.

In response, I cough out some crimson liquid. There's no doubt that some of it got on her.

She pulls me into a bone crushing hug regardless, which is something I do not want at the moment. I'm already having a hard time breathing.

"I was so worried! I thought I lost you! I though. . ." She continues crying her eyes out for what feels like forever. Seeing as this wasn't ending anytime soon, I go back to sleep.

The next time I wake up, I'm staring at a white ceiling, meaning I'm in a hospital. I really hate this place. On the bright side, I feel slightly better than the last time I woke up, but I can tell I'm gonna be in here for a few days.

Looking to my right, I see Rei sitting in a chair, reading a book. At first glance, it looks like she's her calm usual self. But, I can tell she's worried. She's not even reading, she's just staring at a single page.

"Hey," I say and immediately regret it. It's like I swallowed broken glass.

Her reaction is immediate. She nearly drops her book as she gives me a bewildered stare. Eventually, that look morphs into relieve.

"Hart, you are well." She says softly.

"Sorta," I say shortly, getting use to the pain in my throat. I then close my eyes briefly as I let out a sigh. Rei immediately caught onto my change in mood.

"Hart?"

I look into those crimson red eyes of hers and thought about what the voice said. That I only befriend people if they can make me feel better about myself. That, the reason I'm so close to Rei is because. . .she's easy to manipulate.

I have been manipulating her. I mean, let's look at my actions. The only reason why I'm even friends with the blue haired girl was because I asked her to tutor me! When I found out how withdrawn she was, I began "improving" her. My excuse was that I saw a bit of myself in her. That she reminds me too much of myself, and that I don't want her to be as lonely as I was. But that's a load of crap! I only stayed friends with her because she listened to my sob story! I only stayed friends with her because I believed she's incapable of judging me due to her lack of experience with people! In short, I was just using her.

I want to apologize to Rei. I want to apologize for messing up the mission! I want to apologize for making her spend every waking day with me! I want to tell her how wrong she was about me.

"Rei, I. . .I. . ." the words come out as haggard, due to my throat hurting. I frown as I being choking on words that has yet to come out.

A hand, Rei's hand, encompasses my own. The girl looks me dead in the eyes with what looks like understanding. Like somehow, she can read my mind. But that's impossible. There's no way she knows what I'm thinking. If she did, she would hate me.

"Hart," The girl says softly, in almost a motherly tone. "I do not know what happened while you were swallowed by the Angel, but understand that I am here to help you."

"You shouldn't bother. I'm *cough* not worth the trouble." I respond.

She pauses, then gets closer to me. "I understand what it's like to feel lonely. I understand what it's like to question one's self. To question if anyone can understand your pain. But you taught me, that there are people in the world, good people, who will try to understand you. Who will give you strength when you have none. Who will remind you who you really are."

I'm about to say something, probably something to demean myself, but she stops me.

"You are my friend, and nothing will ever change that." She smiles. "So smile. You have much to be thankful for."

Her words, for some reason, they wipe away any doubt I might have in my mind. Rei **is** my friend. I genuinely enjoy being around her. No matter what some voice said.

"Smile? You mean like this?" I then give her the goofiest, most ridiculous expression I could think of.

That gets her to laugh. "I suppose that will do."

"Ugh! Gag me with a spoon!" A new voice says in disgust. Turning to the source, I see Asuka in her school uniform, leaning against the entrance to the room.

I'm slightly amused by this action and tell Rei to leave for a moment so I may speak to the redhead. Rei nods then shortly leaves the room.

"So I guess you're feeling better now that you're flirting with 'Wondergirl'," Asuka says as she walks closer to my bed.

"What? Jealous?" I ask jokenly.

She scoffs. "As if."

I chuckle for a moment then pause. "Thanks for saving me."

She crosses her arms then shrugs. "It's not a big deal or anything. The First wouldn't stop whining about you, which was really getting on my nerves. So, when I saw the Angel's shadow rip open, I immediately came up with a plan and jumped in after you. I knew if I saved you, 'Wondergirl' would stop her incessant whining."

I start laughing for some reason. The redhead snorts out a laugh as well. Eventually, I decide to get into the meat of things.

"Sooo. . .about last night. I-"

"Save it," the redhead interrupts. She looks annoyed I would even bother apologizing. "We both said things we immediately regretted, so let's forget about it."

A short laugh escapes me. "Kay. Works for me."

"Well, I'm gonna go now," Asuka says turning her back to me. "Don't wanna keep you away from your 'girlfriend' any longer."

I let out a groan. "Yeah, sure. Whatever."

* * *

Author's Notes: Fun fact, got into a car wreck around three weeks ago. That was fun. Don't worry, the car and the stuff inside wasn't damaged that much. . .Oh, and I guess I'm fine too, so that's a plus.

Anyway, I finally finished this chapter. For some reason, this one was giving me a hard time. I guess I was wondering how I was going to write a chapter where most of the time was spent inside a white void. I thought the chapter would be too short. . .Yeah, I might've gone slightly overboard with the writing. Though on bright side, this amount of text should keep you guys satisfied until I release the next chapter. And before I forget, both **justsomerealguy** and **Thomas Drovin** correctly guessed last chapter's band, but **Thomas** got the name of the song correct. Congratulations on that. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

Chapter 13 hint: This heavy metal band's former name was Brawl before it was changed when the singer was replaced (You've probably heard their music before. Think of a certain shonen anime). The name of the song is within the chapter's title (the song's a perfect fit for the chapter, don't you think).

See ya'll next time, and have a Happy Thanksgiving.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Breaking The Pattern

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.**

"Been having this nightmare for the past few days," I explain while staring at the rectangular gravestone. I close my eyes, allowing the cool air to brush against my face, clearing my thoughts. "I'm in a completely white room, on the ground, knees pulled to my chest. I sit like that for god knows how long until a voice calls out. An overwhelming sense of dread, shame, and anger washes over me at the sound of the voice. The voice speaks to me, but I'm unable to understand anything it says. Every time it speaks, fire seems to grow beneath my skin. Eventually, I let out a scream as my fingers dig into my skin, tearing off the flesh from my bones." I open my eyes, looking at the orange hue of the sky, suggesting it's getting late. "Then, I wake up."

I look at the gravestone, as if expecting a response. Of course it gives none, for it's an inanimate object. Even in a world like this, the dead aren't much for conversation.

Honestly, I feel silly doing this. I'm just speaking to thin air. But, it's what people are suppose to do, right? Besides, I owe him this much.

This makes it the third time I've visited Shinji's grave. The first time was to confirm he was actually dead. The second time, I just muttered a little prayer for the guy. . .like that did any good. This time, I've decided to do something different. Talking. Because that's productive and **not** crazy in the slightest. Talking to a piece of stone representing a dead person is something only rational people do.

"Sorry I haven't been visiting much," I tell "Shinji". "I'm not really use to doing something like this. The only funeral I've ever been to was done for the class guinea pig."

I chuckle at the memory. I remember crying my little eyes out in fourth grade when the teacher told everyone the class pet was dead. Hell, the guy even showed us the body. That was a great idea! That's not sure to traumatize anyone.

"Anyway, the reason for me telling you my dream is because. . .I can't really tell anyone else." I admit freely. "Misato has enough to worry about, and I don't want to be a burden on her. Toji and Kensuke wouldn't understand. And Rei. . .I don't know why I can't tell her. I guess I still feel slightly weird around her ever since what happened during the last mission."

Again, the gravestone says nothing, yet it gives me confidence to continue. "Heh, just realized you probably have no idea who most of those people are. Well, I guess it's best to start at the beginning."

I tell the stone of how I got here. I tell it of the people I met in this world and the friends I've made along the way. I also went into great detail when speaking of the missions I would be sent on. It felt nice to freely admit there were times I felt scared, alone, or sad. Weird, I've never really talked about my experiences being in this world. I've only told Rei about how I felt from time to time; even then, it's never as often as I would like. As close as I am to the girl, I don't feel like burdening her with all my problems. Especially since my "problems" are minuscule when compared to the shit she has to go through.

Kinda sad that I had to resort to speaking to the dead in order to get my house in order.

"Sorry if I'm rambling a bit. Not use to speaking this much." I let out a chuckle before pausing for a moment. "I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. Where I'm from, all of this is fictional. In my world, you and everyone else are just drawings on a page." It felt good to finally tell someone that. Sure Misato, Ritsuko, and most of the higher ups at Nerv know I'm from a different world. But, they don't know that in my world, all of this is just a tv show. "Your world was part of a show called 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' and, believe it or not, you were the main character. I never really had much interest in the show. I would tune in once in a while just to watch the giant robots fight and that's it. Also, though now I'm ashamed to admit it, I found you annoying. You always seemed reluctant to pilot, and when you did, you hated it. I didn't get it. I mean, you were the 'main character'! You piloted a giant robot that was kicking ass and taking names! What right did you have to complain?" I shake my head, thinking about how idiotic those thoughts were. "But, now that I'm the one piloting, I understand you a bit more. Piloting is hard, and no one should be forced to do that."

I let out a sigh. "Despite what you thought in your last moments, there are people who cared about you. Misato is someone who comes to mind, but I'm sure there's more. I. . .just want you to know that."

Too bad he'll never know. The dead don't talk or listen. They just lay then waste away.

Sounds of dirt crunching behind me draws my attention away from the gravestone. The person who appears makes a scowl crawl onto my face. It's Gendo.

"Pilot Hart? What an unexpected surprise." The man says, hands folded behind his back. At a distance, I can see a black vehicle surrounded by men in suits. His security I presume.

"Why are you here?" I ask bitterly. I don't talk to him much, though he's never given me a reason to speak to him. Besides, I have no desire to have a conversation with this man.

The man looks at me, then looks to Shinji's grave. "I was visiting my wife's grave to pay my respects. After a moment of doing so, I decided to also pay my son a visit."

I let out a scoff. At least he's calling Shinji his son, instead of defining him as "the pilot of Unit-01".

"Looks like you were more of a father in his death than in his life," I respond, still bitter.

The guy moves his head slightly, as if nodding. He then moves next to me just to stare at the grave. "It would seem so."

I'm frustrated. "Don't you even care?! He's dead because of you! Yet here you are, acting like someone told you your pet goldfish died!"

Gendo pauses. "I do not deny my son's death was my own doing. I do not deny that one bit. But I did what was necessary to ensure humanity's survival." He glances at me. "As for my feelings towards my son, well, I do not feel the need to wear my heart on my sleeve."

My scowl deepens. "You expect me to believe you actually cared for him? That's bull, and we both know it! You abandoned him for most of his life then only called for him when you needed to use him! Parents who care for their kids, don't do that! They don't leave their kids behind then use them to fight their own battles! Only cowards do that!"

The man once again pauses, then returns his attention to Shinji's grave. He steps forward, takes a knee, then puts his right hand on the gravestone. "Perhaps you are right. Perhaps I am a coward for allowing my son to pilot Unit-01."

A sense of confusion washes over me. He isn't denying it. Why isn't he denying it?

Gendo lowers his head, as if muttering a prayer. "Be that as it may, he is my son. As such, I must pay my respects."

I'm about to say something but sounds of footsteps interrupt me. Turning to the sound, I see Rei with a bouquet of flowers in her hands. She takes notice of me for a moment, nods, then places the flowers onto Shinji's grave. If Gendo's surprised by this action, he shows no sign of it.

After a moment of silence, Gendo speaks up. "Come Rei. It is time for us to leave."

"Yes, Commander Ikari," the girl responds in a monotone voice. She then begins to walk away from the grave and Gendo soon follows.

Gendo stops halfway through his stride then goes silent.

"The world requires sacrifice in exchange for one's goals," the man says out of the blue, back still turned to me. "You cannot gain one thing without losing another. That is something I've learned a long time ago. As such, I've been willing to sacrifice much in order to be where I am. And I will continue sacrificing in order to get to where I will be." A pause. "I wonder, what you will be willing to sacrifice to achieve your goals? And I wonder what the people around you may think once you've made your choices? Will they see a man, determined to reach his dreams? Or a monster, which cares for nothing but itself?"

The man then continues his walk to his transport. Moments later, I'm all alone.

What did he mean by that?

* * *

Taking a train to the arcade, I take a moment to think about what Gendo said to me at the graveyard. The more I thought about our short conversation, the more frustrated and confused I got.

How can Gendo claim to care about Shinji after having him thrown into battle? Okay, I get that only certain children can pilot Evas. I get that Shinji could naturally connect with Unit-01. I get that Rei was too injured to continue fighting. But what I don't get is how Gendo can abandon his own son, then pull him into a battle he's ill prepared for! Gendo treated Shinji as nothing more than a tool, yet this man has the gall to say he actually cares for his son?! What kind of sense does that make?!

Also, what was with that speech he left me with? Why bother telling me that he made "sacrifices"? What, is that the only reason he could provide for him abandoning Shinji? That pretending his son never existed was a necessary sacrifice? How? What kind of twisted logic do you need to run on in order for that to make sense?

Though, this does get me thinking. What am I willing to sacrifice in order to get what I want? Well, I want to go home, but I won't really be sacrificing anything. After all, it's only a matter of time before I get to return home. I guess the only thing I'll be sacrificing is my friendships here, which is a somber thought. But, I don't think that's what Gendo meant.

I continue getting lost in my thoughts until the train stops at my destination.

I hop off the vehicle and make my way to the arcade. When entering the arcade, I see it's practically empty. Only a few other kids are wandering around the place. Much to my surprise, Toji and Kensuke aren't here. They're always here, so what happened? I could call them to see what's up, but they're probably busy with something. I mean, why else could they not be here?

Sighing, I go to one of the machines and start playing a game. I stay in the arcade for an hour before walking home.

Entering the apartment, I expect to be totally alone. Misato's attending a wedding with Ritsuko, and Asuka's off on a date with some random guy. So I should have the place to myself. Those thoughts went straight out the window upon entering the living room. There, sitting on the couch watching tv, is a bored looking Asuka. She's still wearing her green dress, so she must've just came back from her date. Odd.

"Why are you home so early?" I ask, getting her attention.

The girl looks at me with an indifferent expression. She then shrugs. "Oh, my date was boring, so I left."

I raise an eyebrow. "Wait. You just left the guy hanging?"

She nods which gets me to chuckle.

"Wow. That's totally not a bitchy thing to do." I then head to the kitchen to see if there was any soda left.

"Of course **you** wouldn't understand," the girl defends. She raises her voice slightly so it could carry over to where I am. "The guy was sooo immature. He wouldn't stop talking about himself! He just kept going on and on about his accomplishments! Like that was supposed to be impressive! It was honestly annoying."

"So what you're saying, is that you both were a match made in heaven?" I retort, grabbing a grape flavored soda out of the fridge.

"Ha, ha. Very funny," the girl deadpans. I walk over to the couch the redhead's sitting on as she continues talking. " *Sigh* Guess I was right. Kaji really is the only man for me."

I take a drink of my soda then roll my eyes. "Is pedophilia legal where you're from?"

Her response is to throw a pillow at my face, nearly causing me to spill my drink. "Hey!"

"Sorry, my hand slipped," she says with a straight face.

I growl a few profanities at her as I sit on the couch. "Okay but seriously, you do realize Kaji is much older than you, right?"

What's with her obsession with Kaji? I know she likes the guy, but she doesn't seem to see the problem with trying to hook up with an adult. Hell, there were times when the guy would look extremely uncomfortable when Asuka would cling onto his waist or arm. The redhead must see that too, right?

"I know he's older, but I'm very mature for my age," the redhead states proudly. "I find it irritating dating people within my 'age group'. Every time I do, they just reveal themselves to be snot nosed brats."

"But Kaji," the girl says dreamily. "He's a real man. Which is why he's perfect for me."

Okay, so she's deluded. Let's try this at a different angle. "What **exactly** do you like about him?"

The girl takes a moment to think. "Well, he's handsome, smart, and charming."

I raise an eyebrow. "Is that it?"

She pouts. "You act like that's a bad thing."

I shrug. "I'm just saying, you could probably find those same traits in someone around your age."

She scoffs. "As if."

"Come on," I insist. "You'll never know until you try. And I mean **really** try."

She smirks. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're suggesting you and I should date."

"Depends," I say while giving a smirk of my own. I then stand and do a "heroic" pose. "Do you like what you see?"

She laughs. "You're such an idiot."

I chuckle then got back to business. "Okay, but seriously, is that **all** you like about Kaji?"

She pauses. "I don't know. I mean, I guess he's nice. He always makes time for me." A frown appears on her face as her voice becomes a whisper. "At least. . .he used to."

The mood sours for a moment. I feel like I should dig for more information, but just leave things as they are. Besides, it's not like she'll tell me how she's feeling, and I'm not gonna try to push her.

I get back on the couch and look at the tv screen. "So, what you're watching?"

She scoffs. "Some romance movie taking place during the Second Impact."

"Sounds dumb," I say. The redhead nods in agreement. "I'll get the popcorn."

"Make sure it has extra butter," she responds without looking.

"Who says you're getting some?" I joke.

The girl flips me off in response, getting me to chuckle.

* * *

Sharing a bowl of popcorn, the redhead and I stare at the film being played. Just as I suspected, the movie was total garbage. The main character (can't remember his name, nor do I care) kept coming up with any excuse to take off his shirt, showing off that yes, he does work out. I'm not even kidding when I say he would jump on any opportunity to take his shirt off. A girl is eating but has no napkins? Takes shirt off. Someone's injured? Takes shirt off. About to kiss someone? Takes shirt off. The world's fucking ending?! Well, you get the idea. Asuka and I, bored to death, began tearing this movie to shreds. Any flaw or leaps in logic were pointed out, torn apart, then promptly laughed at. In the end, our verbal assault on the "film" was the only thing keeping us entertained.

After the movie ended, I felt a little hungry. In response to this hunger, I headed to the kitchen to make a short meal. Deciding to make something new, I did a quick google search on some easy Japanese recipes. Eventually, I decided on making some Teriyaki Salmon with a side of Oyakodon. They both weren't complicated to make; just needed eggs, salmon, chicken, and some other stuff. The redhead, just noticing I'm cooking, sits at the dining room table, not once questioning if the meal was for her or not. I mean, I am cooking for her as well as for myself, but I hate it when she assumes shit.

After making the finishing touches, I set the meal on the table so Asuka could have her share. After setting my portion on the table, I sit down and begin eating. The next minute is silent. The only sounds at the table is silverware interacting with plates or bowls. The way Asuka's eating is funny though. I never noticed it till now, but she takes small bites of her food; like she's afraid it's poisonous or something. Now that I think about it, she only does that when it's food I make. What, she doesn't like the food?

"When did you learn to make this?" Asuka asks while eating.

"Just now," I respond. "How is it?"

"It's good," she responds. "Though there's too much seasoning on the chicken."

"Well if you don't like it, you're free to cook next time," I smile while giving her a challenging look.

"I don't cook," she responds.

"You mean you can't cook," I retort.

"Shut up and eat," she pouts, eating a bit faster.

Silently laughing, I dig back into my meal. A moment later, my cell phone rings. Pulling the object out of my pocket, I see it's Misato calling. Raising an eyebrow, I answer the call.

"What is it old lady?" I joke, waiting for an irritated response.

"Very funny," Misato responds. Though, she sounded irritated prior to me insulting her. "Just wanted to let you know I'm gonna be home late."

"You're out drinking again, are you." I state.

"As a matter of fact I am," she responds. "You know me so well."

A devious smile appears on my face. "Is your boyfriend there?"

It takes a minute for her to realize who I am referring to. "That's none of your business!"

"So he **is** there," I state.

"Your an ass, you know that?" She asks.

"You know you love this ass," I respond without missing a beat.

She must've been drinking something because she just spat it out.

"Mister Hart!" says the woman, feigning being offended. "What inappropriate behavior!"

"Like you're the one to talk," I respond, chuckling a bit. I then deepen my voice as if I were older. "Now Misato have fun, but not **too** much fun. I expect you back home at ten sharp."

"What are you, my dad?" the woman asks, clearly amused. "Whatever, I'm hanging up now."

"Sure whatever," I respond, this time in my regular voice. "Later."

I get off the phone then look at Asuka. She's barely touched her food, just picking at it.

"So, what was that about?" The redhead asks.

"Misato's gonna be late," I inform. "She's out drinking with Kaji."

Asuka's face sours. "Is that so?" Letting out a sigh, she gets out of her chair then begins to walk to her room. "I'm full, you can put the rest of the food in the fridge."

She enters her room then closes the door. I sigh while looking at her barely touched food.

She's jealous of Misato, her reaction is evidence of that. Usually, I'll start praying that she won't make a big deal about something, but that never worked in the past. The girl always makes a big deal about things like this. All I can hope for is that this "freak out" won't be as bad as the other times. I put Asuka's food in a container then leave it in the fridge. After that, I finish eating then watch tv.

Eventually, the redhead quits sulking in her room and starts pacing around the apartment. She's been acting weird though. For the past half hour, she's been walking in and out of her room. Almost like she's having trouble deciding where to stay. When she finally quit moving around, she sat right next to me. She wasn't too close, just an arms length away, but was still closer than expected. Every moment or so, she would begin fidgeting, only stopping if I turned to look at her.

Also, I feel like she's staring at me. Though, that might be my imagination. Every time I try to caught her in the act, I find her looking at the tv with an annoyed expression. Again, I think it's my imagination. Still, I can't shake off the feeling of being watched.

"Hey Michael," the redhead says suddenly. I turn to her to see she's giving me a bored expression. "You ever kissed a girl?"

That's. . . a weird question. "No."

A smirk molds onto her face. "Not even Rei?"

I groan. "How many times do I have to say this? Me and Rei are just friends!"

The girl now seems curious. "So you two really aren't dating?"

"Of course not," I state then let out a sigh. "I know me and her hang out a lot, but that doesn't mean we're dating! We're just good friends."

"Why is that?" Asuka asks. "Why aren't you two a 'thing'? After all, you both can't seem to get enough of each other."

I grunt in annoyance before actually thinking about what she said.

"I don't know," I admit. "I mean, she's easy to talk to, and I enjoy hanging around her. . .but I just don't see her that way. The thought of having any romantic feelings for the girl just feels weird. Guess I see her more as a sister than anything else."

Asuka lets out a condescending "hah". "It just seems to me you're afraid of asking out 'Wondergirl'."

"Hey, I'm not taking dating advice from a girl who wants to bang someone twice her age."

Her eyebrow twitches, but in the end, she says nothing. Believing the conversation's over, I go back to watching tv. Only a few minutes pass before Asuka speaks up.

"You wanna kiss me?"

I choke on air as I give the redhead a bewildered look. She in turn, gives an apathetic expression, as if what she said wasn't that big a deal.

"I'm sorry, what?!" I must've had a dumb look on my face.

"You heard me," she responds, clearly amused.

"What brought this up?" I ask, butterflies bursting from my stomach.

Seriously, why am I flustered around her? She asks a stupid question, and I start acting like the goddamn apocalypse is happening! Hell, why am I giving her proposition the time of day?! I've had more than enough arguments with Asuka for me to be turned off by her!

 **. . .**

But. . .I mean, she's not unattractive. I'd be lying if I said she was ugly. Dammit, my head isn't the one calling the shots here, is it.

"Well, I got nothing better to do," she responds.

Oh. . .so that's it. Of course she'd do something like this for that reason alone. A frown makes its way onto my face as I cross my arms. Irritation seems to be the dominant emotion as of now.

"No thanks," I say coolly. The redhead's shocked then annoyed.

"Why not?"

"Just don't feel like it."

"What's the matter, scared?" Asuka teases.

"What? No!"

She frowns. "Don't tell me you're into guys."

What- "The hell?! No, I'm not into guys!"

She gets a serious look. "Then what's the problem?"

I don't know. "I just don't like the idea of kissing someone out of boredom."

Her frown deepens. " **That's** what you're going with?"

I nod, eliciting a growl from her.

"That's a load of crap!" The redhead nearly yells while getting to her feet. She glares down at me while her hands slowly morph into fists. "What's the real reason?!"

Sighing, I get to my feet as well. "What are you talking about?"

"I. . .Ugh!" She looks like she's gonna pull her hair out. "What's wrong with you?! A cute girl asks to kiss you and you question it?! And if that's not bad enough, you give some half-assed excuse on why you don't even want one?! What, are you that repulsed by the very idea of kissing me?!"

I get annoyed. "Can we not do this?"

"What, you're too good for me?! You think-"

"That's enough!" I interrupt the redhead. We're not doing this! We're not gonna get into another pointless argument which will result in one of us hurting the other! I'm in no mood for this! Not tonight! "I'm not dealing with your shit tonight! This thing we got going on here is getting old! I'm tired of things escalating between us, so stop it!"

She's about to say something, but I won't let her. If she gets a word in we'll be here all night. "I don't wanna hear it! I just want this to be over. I don't get why you're so caught up on this kiss thing!"

Asuka lowers her head, causing her hair to cover her face. She stays like that for a few seconds before her face twists into frustration. She inhales deeply before letting out a yell. "You're such a JERK! ! !"

I'm use to her calling me that, but this time it got me frustrated. I'm trying to end the conflict but she keeps escalating it! The best thing to do is to just walk away.

Just as I'm about to head to my room, I hear the front door opening. The sound of someone entering the apartment stops whatever rant Asuka was gonna come up with. Standing at the entrance is Kaji carrying a clearly drunk Misato.

Seeing as Asuka and I are no longer arguing, I head to where Kaji is and look at him questioningly.

"Care to explain?"

The man chuckles. "Well, you know how she is. Can't seem to control herself around alcohol." Misato begins to stir, causing Kaji to shift his weight. "Can you show me to her room?"

A short laugh escapes me as I shake my head. "Sure. Follow me."

We make our short journey to the Major's room, where Kaji gently lies the woman down onto her bed. He lets out a tired sigh as he loosens the tie around his neck. "She's quite a handful, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah," I nod, then glare at the resting woman. "And she's a problem I'm gonna have to deal with."

The man laughs. "It would seem so." Me and him walk out of Misato's room. While I close the door, Kaji pats my shoulder. "Hey, she's had a long night, so you're gonna have to take care of her. Think you can do that?"

I roll my eyes. "This isn't the first time I had to deal with a drunk Misato."

The man smiles. "I'll keep that in mind."

Before Kaji can even take a step, Asuka tackles the man, clinging to his waist. As usual, the guy indulges the redhead's actions, despite how uncomfortable he looks.

"Hey Asuka. How did your date go?"

"It was boooring," the girl emphasizes. All anger she had previously, just vanished.

"Well, I'm sorry you had to go through that," Kaji says, trying to walk to the front door. "As much as I would like to stay and chat, I need to go."

"Aww, do you have to?" The girl questions, still clinging to the man's waist. Kaji eventually managed to to wiggle out of the redhead's grasp, so the girl settled with clinging to his left arm.

"Sorry, but I really need to head back to work." For the first time, the man sounds annoyed, but only slightly. Whatever happened tonight must've worn him out.

Asuka continues to cling to the man's arm as he makes his way to the front door. "You can miss work this once."

"I really can't."

The girl looks up at the man and gives a sultry look. "I'm sure you can, after all you look so tired. You can stay in **my** room if you want."

"Asuka," the mans says, clearly tired of the redhead's behavior. "I need to go." Asuka, seemingly getting the message, let's go of Kaji, allowing him to leave. He bids both Asuka and I farewell before exiting the apartment then closing the front door.

Asuka just stands there, staring at the front door. The simple act of Kaji pushing her away seemingly puts her into a state of shock.

The girl mutters a few words under her breath before turning to me. She has this lost look in her eyes which made it difficult to look away. I've never seen such a look on her face, it's almost disturbing. It looks like she wants to say or do something, but can't. Or maybe. . .she wants me to say or do something?

I struggle bringing forth a word or two before exhaling through my nose. There's nothing I can say to make her feel better. So, I just walk past her and open the door to my room. Before entering though, I look back to the redhead. She's still staring at me, though this time, she seems like she's trying to hide it. Hesitantly, I give her a small smile. That's about all I can do for her.

"Good night," I tell her before entering my room, closing the door.

I lay on my mattress, and hope for the best.

* * *

I can't sleep.

Every time I'm about to drift off to sleep, I'm back in that white room. Visions of me tearing of my own skin due to a mysterious voice, prevents me from getting rest. I knew the nightmares were bad, but they were never **this** bad. Dammit!

I lie on my mattress, just staring at a wall. It's quite a boring wall. There's no posters hanging from it or anything like that. It's just a blank, empty wall. Though, it fits with the rest of practically empty room. All my time here, and I still barely have anything in my room. Not that I could fit a lot of stuff here due to the size of this place. Still, one would expect I would at least try to fill the empty space. Guess it never crossed my mind.

Light spills into my room causing me to close my eyes, pretending to be asleep. If Misato's checking on me, I don't want her to know I'm having trouble sleeping.

"Are. . .are you awake?"

That's. . .not Misato.

I let out a yawn but still keep my back to the entrance of my room. "Now I am."

I turn to look at Asuka. She still has that depressed look. She also seems. . .I hesitate to use the word nervous. Cautious seems like a better word.

"Can I come in?" asks the girl.

I hesitate for a moment, then motion for her to enter the room. She takes cautious steps as she enters. When she's near me, she takes a seat on the floor. Seeing as I'm not getting any sleep, I sit upright on my mattress and get a better look at Asuka. A scowl paints her face as she looks in some random direction.

"This place is. . .smaller than I thought," she states.

"You get use to it," I respond. Shifting my weight on the mattress, I ask a question. "So, what brings you here?"

A pause.

"I wanted to. . .apologize earlier," she spits out. "I. . .I wasn't feeling like myself."

I think for a moment, a bit surprised she's even apologizing. "You. . .you wanna talk about what happened?"

She goes silent. The redhead's looking at anything other than me, as if ashamed she's even in this situation.

I usually don't push Asuka on things due to how stubborn she is. But, she wouldn't have come into my room if she was just going to apologize. Taking a deep breath, I steady myself. "Look, whatever's bothering you is obviously eating you up. If it wasn't, you wouldn't be here. So just. . .spit it out. I'm not gonna judge you or anything."

Beside, I probably already know what's bothering her.

The girl takes a deep breath and finally looks me dead in the eye. "It's about Kaji. I'm just. . .confused."

"Confused about what?"

"Confused on why he keeps refusing me!" Asuka almost yells. "Why he chose Misato over me!"

"Because she's a grown woman and you're still a kid," I reply bluntly.

She nearly explodes. "I'm not some kid! I'm the pilot of Eva Unit-02! I've accomplished more things than most adults could in their lifetime! I've done everything on my own, proving I'm mature enough to take on the real world! Proving that I'm a woman and not some helpless little girl!" She becomes quieter as she brings her knees to her chest. "So why can't Kaji see that?"

I let out a sigh. Why is she not getting this? "The guy is still older Asuka. Can't you understand that?" The girl scoffs as she looks away from me. "Okay, even if age wasn't an issue, the fact is that he likes Misato, not you."

"But why?!" Asuka asks, partially in anger and partially in confusion.

"I don't know!" I respond. "The woman's a slob, a drunk, and has shown nothing but disdain for Kaji! Yet, the guy still likes her." The redhead obviously doesn't like my answer. "Listen, I know you want to be with Kaji or whatever, but it's not gonna happen. You can't force others to like you. You're just gonna have to accept things as they are."

The redhead pulls her knees even closer to her chest. "So that's it, huh? Misato gets 'the man of her dreams' while Kaji leaves me behind. Abandoning me."

"Don't you start," I snap at the girl, shocking her. "Just because he wants to bang Misato doesn't mean he will 'abandon' you. He obviously cares about you. Just not in **that** way." I explain. " *Chuckles* I mean, he put up with your crap seemingly for years. No one who doesn't care would've done that."

Asuka deadpans. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," I reply jokenly. I then pause for a moment. "So. . .you good?"

She shrugs. "I guess."

This is still gonna bother her, I know it. No matter how many times I get into fights with this girl, I always feel bad when she seems hurt. It's paradoxical, and almost maddening. How can I care about someone I hate?

I scratch the back of my head while trying to come up with something to say. "Listen, I know we don't exactly get along, and I know I didn't exactly make things easy for you." I pause just for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I want you to know that. . .I don't hate you."

For a moment her expression changes from sadness to astonished.

"I know, that's a surprise," I tell her while shaking my head. "We're always arguing with each other. Always finding ways to get under each other's skin. Even after all that, I can't seem to bring myself to hate you. Sure I find you annoying, stuck-up, and childish. But, I never hated you, and. . .I'm sorry if it ever came across that I did."

Her jaw's hanging slightly, having a hard time believing what she's hearing.

"I'm. . .terrible with people," I admit. "I don't always know how to react with others, so I'll be sarcastic or an ass. I'm trying to fix that. I don't want us to get trapped in this pattern of us constantly tearing at each other's throats. That's not helpful to anyone."

The redhead finally says something. "Yeah. . .I guess not."

I continue. "We're Eva pilots. You know what that means? It means we're supposed to watch each other's back. We're supposed to work and depend on one another. And that shouldn't only be designated to the battlefield. It's supposed to be something we're doing on a constant daily basis."

"So, with that in mind, let's start over," I outstretch my right hand to the redhead. "Hi, I'm Michael Hart. Pilot of Unit-01, homegrown Texan, and resident asshole."

The girl looks at my outstretched hand then back to me.

"This is silly," despite what she said, she's smiling. She grabs my outstretched hand, and shakes it. "Asuka Langley Soryu. Pilot of Unit-02, German citizen, and the best pilot in the world."

That's more like her. But, I still got more to say. "Asuka, if you ever need to talk to someone about anything, you can talk to me." The girl's eyes widen. "Like I said, Eva pilots need to look out for each other. We're partners, so we need to get to know each other better. Understand?"

The girl pauses for a moment, then nods. "I'll. . .keep that in mind."

"Good," I say, feeling satisfied with myself. "Now get out of my room."

Asuka rolls her eyes. "Fine, fine. I spent too much time with you anyway." She gets to her feet and walks to the door. She pauses for a few seconds then looks to me. "Actually, can I sleep with you tonight?"

I become flustered. "What?"

She groans. "Get your head out of the gutter. I'm bringing my own mattress. I was just wondering if you're okay with me sleeping here?"

I think for a moment then nod.

"Great, will be right back," she takes another step before pausing once again. "If it's any consolation. . .I don't hate you either."

She leaves to get her mattress. Meanwhile, I sit here, feeling a sense of. . .joy.

Eventually, Asuka comes back and we both fall asleep. Again, I start having the nightmare. But, something's different. As my fingers dig into my skin, a warm feeling encompasses my right hand. The warmth spreads across my whole body as the white room vanishes, transporting me to a grassy field. I realize the warmth in my hand is another hand. An invisible force providing comfort. I hold on tight to the hand, for it's my only sign that the nightmare won't return.

I spend the rest of the dream in a peaceful slumber.

* * *

Author's Notes: Finally done with this one. It's relatively short compared to my other chapters, but I feel like it fits given that the scene doesn't change much. Anyway, I now have a ton of free time. Meaning, I have more time to spend on writing the story. Or, you know, going outside for once. Anyway, **Thomas Drovin** and **justsomerealguy** got the name of the band in last chapter correct. And to answer your question **Thomas** , yeah, I was referring to DBZ when talking about a "certain shonen anime". I have the movies to thank for introducing me to that band. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

Chapter 14 hint: This band is known for mixing alternative metal and rap together (to say that their music is popular is an understatement). The name of the song is hinted in the title. I only changed one word.

See y'all next time, hopefully before New Years.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Prelude to the Dusk

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.**

My eyes open slowly, revealing a blurry world which morphs into my bedroom. My vision of the world is brief as I immediately close my eyes, attempting to get more sleep. I lie still for about five seconds before discomfort rears its ugly head. One of my arms is sore from lying on it funny, with cricks to my neck and back adding to the irritation. Seeing as the only way to get rid of my discomfort is by moving, I quickly give up on getting extra rest. I sit up, stretch my arms, let out a groan, and allow one thought to bounce across my skull.

I feel like shit.

I always do whenever I wake up, never knew why. Perhaps it's my body's way of preventing me from lying in bed all day which is. . .annoying. If I want to lay around like a sloth, then let me do so dammit!

Looking to my right, I half expected to see a certain redhead lying on her mattress. Of course, she and her mattress aren't there. That was a one time thing and I don't expect it to happen again. Not that I'm wanting it to happen again.

Instinctively, I look at my right hand, remembering the nightmare. Despite me knowing exactly what's going to happen in the nightmare, it still messes with me. But, ever since Asuka and I had our talk, the nightmare had been less. . .intense. Wonder why that is? Heh, maybe she's my good luck charm. A really annoying one.

Shaking my head, I quickly get dressed then open the door to my room. Immediately after opening the portal, my nose is assaulted by the stench of burning. It's coming from the kitchen.

"Great," I say unenthusiastically. It's too early for this shit.

Walking to the kitchen, I expected to see a purple haired woman cooking whatever monstrosity she passes for food. Instead, much to my surprise, I found a redhead cooking whatever monstrosity she passes for food.

There was. . . "something" in the frying pan being burnt beyond recognition. Smoke was everywhere, and the rice cooker was overflowing with liquid rice. Meanwhile, Asuka's cursing up a storm while attempting to gain control of the entire situation.

This is a mess.

"You burnt that," I state, then just waited for the fireworks.

She turns in my direction, surprise painted on her face. That look then morphs to annoyance.

"Thanks, I haven't noticed," she replies dryly.

I laugh silently then took a few steps closer to get a better look at her "cuisine". "You know, I didn't think it was possible for anyone to cook worse than Misato. Is that suppose to be eggs? Even she can cook those."

Her face turns red with frustration before letting out a sigh, calming down. "I was trying to cook that thing you made last week. You know, that thing with the rice, chicken, and stuff?"

Does she mean Oyakodon? That shit is easy to make.

Looking at the frying pan again, I can't tell if what's in there was suppose to be chicken or eggs. How do you fuck up this bad?

Asuka briefly panics when she sees the rice cooker overflowing, and immediately unplugs the machine.

"So what's this about?" I ask while seeing the entire seen unfold. "You don't like to cook. . .like at all." I smirk, deciding to mess with her. "Don't tell me you did this all for me?"

She immediately stops what she's doing and gives a glare which could kill an elephant. I put my hands up defensively, but keep smiling regardless. She then shakes her head and got back to cooking.

"Idiot," she mutters loud enough for me to hear. "To answer your first question, I wanted to try cooking for myself for once. I'd have to do so one of these days, so might as well start now."

"Besides," she briefly glances at me. "I can't depend on you for anything. You're always finding some excuse to slack off."

I roll my eyes. "So your definition of 'slacking off' is me not bending to your every whim?"

"Yes," she responds then smirks.

I glare at her then snicker. "Dumb ass."

"Jerk."

"Love you you too," I respond while turning to head to the restroom. "Don't burn the place down."

I hear a scoff then a pause. "Hey Michael."

I stop walking then turn to look at Asuka. "Yeah?"

She's about to say something, but cuts herself off. She rolls her eyes and lets out a short laugh. "Never mind, idiot."

I reveal a smirk while shaking my head. I then head to the bathroom.

School was pretty much the same as always. Everyone listened to some lectures, did class assignments, then waited for the next period. There was a few differences though. Kensuke wasn't here today. I asked Toji about it and he explained that Kensuke skipped class to go to a museum displaying battleships. Another key difference was Rei's absence. It's not odd for the girl to be absent, but it did leave the school feeling more empty than usual. She also didn't tell me she was going to be absent today, probably because she sensed how weird I felt around her. I really hate that. Ever since that last mission, I've been distancing myself from the girl. I'm not doing it on purpose, but. . .I don't know.

I'm such a coward.

Anyway, the biggest difference at school was how Asuka and I treated each other. We would usually tear away at one another whenever a teacher wasn't present. Hell, on particularly bad days, we would fight even with a teacher present. It happened so often, that it was pretty much expected for the redhead and I to clash whenever the opportunity presented itself. So imagine everyone's surprise, when they saw us not so much as raise a voice toward one another. It's been like this for a week and, unfortunately, people has taken an interest in the shift in dynamic. During lunch, one of these people, Toji, elegantly voiced the entire school's confusion.

"What the hell's with you two?!"

Like I said, "elegant". "What do you mean?"

"You and Asuka would have a shouting match every freakin' day! Now, you two are acting like normal human begins!"

I raise an eyebrow. "You **want** me and Asuka to keep fighting?"

He shrugs. "I don't know man. It's just. . .weird."

I chuckle while shaking my head. "To answer your question, nothing happened between me and her. We just. . .came to an understanding."

"Great. Don't tell me you and her are best buds now," he asks dryly.

"Heh, naw. We can just tolerate each other now."

Though only god knows for how long.

"Riiiiight," he says questioningly. "Just don't get too close to her. Don't wanna make Rei jealous."

I roll my eyes. "Sure, I'll keep that in mind."

Toji smirks slightly. "I'm serious. The red devil's been acting weird. Even more than usual."

"Really? How so?" I ask, humoring him.

He laughs. "Well, she's been sneakin' glances at you for the past two minutes."

My eyes widen slightly. "What? No, you're making that up!"

He smiles. "No, really."

As soon as he said that, I turn in Asuka's direction to catch her in the act. All I see is her sitting at her desk chatting with Hikari, seemingly completely engrossed in the conversation. Turning back to Toji, I give him a questioning look. He continues to swear he saw the redhead looking at me.

Eventually, our conversation moves onto other things. We talked about the new games which would be appearing in the arcade, or new shows coming up on tv. When I asked Toji what he's been up to lately, he told me he was visiting his sister who's still in the hospital. She was sick for the past couple of days, and doctors had no idea what was wrong with her. It was quite a scare for Toji, but his sister got better, so everything was fine in the end. I couldn't help but remain silent throughout that part of the conversation.

That same feeling I now have around Rei is rearing its ugly head when Toji mentioned his sister. It causes my stomach to feel empty and my skin to be cold. The emotion leaves me unsure how to feel about Toji's situation. I mean, yeah I feel bad that he has to deal with his sister being sick, but this unknown feeling is messing with me.

 **. . .**

Guilt. . .yeah, now I remember. This emotion is guilt.

I feel guilty because I completely forgot Toji's sister even existed. His sister, who's been in the hospital ever since I first got here. The same sister who I insulted, causing Toji to fight me. The same sister who Toji is constantly worried about. I'm suppose to be his friend, yet I can't even be bothered to remember his sister. Granted, he rarely mentions her, but that doesn't seem like a good enough excuse. Hell, now that I think about it, even Kensuke asks how Toji is doing every once in a while.

Did I ever ask him once how his sister was doing, or if he was feeling alright?

My shoulders now seemed to have gotten heavier.

The rest of the school day flew by so fast, that it was over before I knew it. Toji had class duty, meaning a teacher ordered him to deliver some class work to an absent student. The absent student in question being Rei. Of course, Toji had no idea where the blue haired girl lived, so he asked me to be his guide. Having nothing better to do, I decided to do just that.

A train ride later, we arrived in Rei's neighborhood, meaning we had to walk the rest of the way to her place. The walk was mostly silent, with the occasional question or observation made by Toji about the neighborhood. The guy's completely surprised that Rei lives around here, which was my exact reaction when first coming around these parts. Still wonder if anyone other than Rei lives here.

A thought of Toji's sister pops into my head, causing the weight on my shoulders to return with a vengeance.

I've never really tried to dig into Toji's personal life. When I really think about it, I don't know much about him. I mean, I know that he likes games, sports, and hot girls. But, those are things practically everyone knows about the guy. They're just the surface level of his personality. Same thing with Kensuke, I only know general information about him. Toji and Kensuke are my friends, yet I barely know a thing about them. I only hang out with them when we're at school. Even when we're out of school, I only meet up with them to play at the arcade. They both make a point to include me in all their activities, but rarely do I bother doing the same. Not to mention I just completely ignored all of Toji's problems by deciding to forget they even exist!

That. . .that can't be a good thing.

I let out a sigh then stop walking.

"Toji," I call out, causing the guy stop walking. He turns to me and gives a curious expression. "Am I a good friend?"

The guy looks shocked. "What, are you serious?"

I nod then rub my left arm. "It's just. . .I don't feel like I've been a good friend to either you or Kensuke. I rarely hang out with you guys outside of school, and I barely know anything about either of you. I mean, I just now remembered your sister was in the hospital! Not once did I ask if you were doing okay!"

Toji looks concerned. "Is that what this is about? Look, my sis had a little health scare but she's doing fine. As for me, yeah I worry sometimes, but I'm not depressed or anything."

"That's not the point! It's just. . ." I exhale slowly and try to gather my thoughts. "I've been thinking a lot lately. My last mission brought some things to light. Things I really don't like thinking about."

Thoughts of the Angel. . . or whatever it was that spoke to me, permeate throughout my mind. I shake my head to get those thoughts out.

"I realized there's a possibility that I haven't been the best person to be around." I look to the ground. "Every single step of progress I make, I take three steps back when pushed. It's a problem, and I feel like if I don't fix it, it'll come back to bite me." I take a breath. "I. . .want to be better. I don't want to end up screwing things up again because I'm too stubborn or too hot-headed to admit when something's wrong."

I look to Toji. "So, this is me, trying to fix things."

The guy looks dumbfounded. "Whoa."

I become slightly embarrassed. "Yeah."

Everything I said was just so. . . I don't know.

The guy looks at me for a long while, then smiles. "You're still a depressing guy, you know that right?"

I scoff then reveal a small smile. "So I've been told."

"Well, since you're so worried about me, you should come with me to visit my sister tomorrow."

I'm surprised. "Really? You sure it I won't be a bother?"

Toji waves off my concern. "You won't be botherin' anyone. Besides, she's been asking about you?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah," he produces a slightly annoyed expression. "Believe it or not, she's obsessed with giant robots."

I start laughing. I'm starting to wonder if his sister's like a smaller version of Kensuke.

We finally arrive at Rei's place then knock on her door. When she opened it, she was quite surprised to see Toji with me, but she let us in regardless. We gave her the class work, spoke briefly, then bid her farewell as we left the apartment. Toji and I then went our separate ways.

* * *

Sitting on a chair in Ritsuko's office, I subtly glare at the faux blond woman while rubbing my sore arm. The doctor continues looking at a butch of paperwork, mumbling incomprehensible words every once in awhile. Shaking a bit of my annoyance off, I decide to say something.

"I don't see why you still need my blood," I state. "You found the wormhole, so you don't need me to scan for it."

"Two reasons," she says while still looking at her papers. "One, it's important to get as much samples from you as possible in order to better understand the energy in your body, as well as the energy the anomaly emits." She then looks away from her papers and gives a smirk. "And two, it's for my own personal study."

This time my glare becomes more prominent. "I'm not a lab rat."

The woman chuckles. "I know. But surely you must understand that as a scientist, I must study anything I come across. Especially something as unique as yourself."

I grunt then cross my arms. "Whatever. Did you find a way to get the wormhole working?"

She shakes her head. "We're making progress, but we're not close to sending anything through that anomaly."

I sigh, but then decide to ask another question. "Well, since you've been studying me a while, I was wondering if you could answer this question. How am I still alive?"

She looks puzzled. "What do you mean?"

I lean forward in my chair. "You explained to me that all live on Earth has an A.T. Field, and that I don't have one of my own." Still wonder what method they used to detect A.T. Fields in non-angels, but I digress. "According to you, my world's physics must be different since life here is impossible without a field. But, if that's true, then I should have either experienced some sort of anomaly, or be dead."

I point to myself. "But, nothing has happened. How do you explain that?"

The doctor pauses. "You've had a lot of time to think about this, have you?"

I shrug. "It's been in the back of my mind for a while."

She sighs as a tired smile appears on her face. "That question alone is one of the reasons why I've been taking so much samples from you. That question has plagued me ever since I discovered your lack of a field. *Chuckles* The frustrating truth is, I don't know."

I show my surprise as she continues. "At first, I thought it might have something to do with the radiation from your body. That it somehow acted like a shield to protect you from any negative side effects. But, multiple tests has proven that theory to be false. Other theories were thrown about, but were quickly dismissed after further testing. So, as you can see, I'm just as in the dark as you."

I blink a few times. "You mean to tell me you don't have any ideas why physics isn't being weird around me?"

"No. Though, I guess you should consider yourself lucky," she laughs slightly. "When I first discovered your lack of a field, every scientist within Nerv nearly had a panic attack. *Chuckles* It was quite amusing."

I'm not amused. No, I'm very concerned! "Why were they panicking?"

She waves off my concern. "It's nothing you should worry about. It's just, your lack of a field made people think of Yui Ikari's A.T. Void Theory."

"Yui Ikari? Shinji's mom?" I ask.

"Yes," the woman responds. "She was one of the world's greatest scientists at the time. A pioneer in physics, biology, and one of many people who helped create the Eva program."

Interesting. I knew Shinji's mom was a scientist, but I never knew what exactly she did.

I shake my head and get back on subject. "Anyway, tell me about the A.T Void Theory."

Ritsuko sighs. "Like I said, it's nothing for you to worry about. It was a simple thought experiment Yui came up with to answer a simple question. What would happen if a living creature without an A.T. came into contact with Earth."

"What was the conclusion," I ask with baited breath.

"It was. . .destructive," the doctor responds. "But like I said, it's nothing for you to worry about. If the theory was correct, Tokyo-3 would've been a crater."

That does **not** make me worry any less!

"Anyway, we're done for now," she goes back to reading her papers. "Can you do me a favor? If you spot Misato, tell her to meet me in my office. We need to discuss her trip tomorrow."

I let out a long exhale while getting out of my chair. "Sure, I'll do that."

I bid the woman farewell then left her office to find Misato. Walking aimlessly around the bland halls forced boredom into me. I briefly entertained the thought of going back to the apartment, but dismissed it. I have a sync test later on today. Though, what briefly abated the boredom was seeing the sudden heightened activity of the Nerv staff. There's more people in the halls than usual, but they don't seem to be on alert for anything. They just seem to be. . .hanging out. It's sort of nice seeing these people not look serious all the time.

After some time wandering around, I spot Misato in the vending machine area. She's leaning against a wall, and is engaged in a tense conversation with a man wearing an odd uniform. Upon closer inspection, I see the man in the uniform is Kaji. Huh, this is the first time he actually looks like an actual employee. But, he isn't wearing a Nerv uniform.

I wasn't sure if I should interrupt their conversation or not, so I decide to just let them know my presence. Letting out a small cough got the attention of both adults real quick.

"Uh, hey. Sorry to interrupt, but Ritsuko wants to talk to Misato about a trip tomorrow, or something like that."

"Oh right! I nearly forgot," Misato says while nearly face palming. The woman then gives Kaji a look, says something outside my hearing, then leaves the area while bidding me farewell. This left me and Kaji standing the area, the latter of which deciding to lean on one of the vending machines.

"It's been a while since we last seen each other, has it?" asks Kaji.

I scratch the back of me head. "Yeah, I guess so." Looking at his uniform, a thought pops into my head. "So, do you actually work here, or are you just some representative sent to look over things?"

"Yes," he says with a smirk.

"Thanks for clearing things up," I reply dryly.

The man chuckles. "Anyway, I was wondering if we could talk a bit?"

I shrug. "Isn't that what we're doing?"

"Well, this is more of a casual chat," the man replies. "I want to better know about 'the Pilot of Unit-01'."

"That doesn't sound suspect at all," I say while smiling. "Well, got nothing better to do, so what you wanna talk about?"

"Before we do that, let's go outside." He says while stretching. "I need some fresh air."

I snort before gesturing him to lead the way.

The man leads me out of Nerv's main building, so we wonder around the Geofront for a bit. We stay on the sidewalks, so it was least likely for us to get lost in the this place. Though, the man was obviously leading deeper into one of the many forests around here. In any other circumstance, I'd be suspicious of a grown man leading me into an isolated area. But, I don't think Kaji is planning anything nefarious.

Being outside of the man's reach might've also helped ease my mind.

We eventually come across a small melon patch hiding behind a tree and a few bushes. Next to the patch is a watering pail which Kaji casually strolls up on, picks up, then uses on the melons. I give the man an odd look as he continues watering the plants.

"Soo. . .you brought me out here to see this?"

The man continues watering while smiling. "Of course. Pretty neat, huh?"

I genuinely can't tell if he's being sarcastic or not, which irritates me slightly. "Yeah, sure. *Sigh* You also said you wanted to talk?"

The man nods and continues watering the melons. He obviously wants me to start the conversation. Don't know why.

Rolling my eyes, I ask a question. "Kay, I'll bite. What's the deal with the melons?"

"Oh these? It's just a little hobby of mine." The man says casually. "Though technically, these plants weren't approved by Nerv, meaning what I'm doing here is illegal. So let's keep this a secret between us, okay?"

I let out a scoff while smiling. "Sure. Hate to see you get sent to jail over some fruit. Though, that would be pretty funny." I laugh a bit. "Bet Misato would get a kick out of it.

Kaji laughs as well. "I admit, that would be amusing." He closes his eyes and continues to laugh, perhaps imagining the scenario I described. He stops watering the melons and stares at them, as if admiring his work. "There's nothing better than watching things grow. Wouldn't you agree?"

I shrug, only to realize he probably couldn't see that. "I guess."

"Oh?" The man questions as he turns his head to me.

"It's not boring exactly," I say walk walking closer to the melon patch. "I mean, I get how. . .satisfying it can be to watch one thing grow into something else. But, it always seemed like too much work for a single thing to happen."

"True," the man replies. "But, I'd like to think that putting a lot of work into something makes the end result even more beautiful."

I chuckle. "Won't argue with you on that. Guess I'm just bad at giving things attention. It's one of the reasons why I never had pets."

"It's a learned skill. Trust me, you'll get better at it," the man once again looks to me. "So, have you enjoyed your time in Japan?"

I nod.

"It must be difficult moving to a place completely different from what you're use to," says the man. "Having to come to a place without friends and family can make the place feel. . .alien. Like it's a completely different world."

I pause for a moment then give the man a weird look. "You know?"

The man looks at me slyly. "Know what?"

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, you know."

So, Kaji knows I'm from a different dimension. But, the way he said it made it seem like he isn't **supposed** to know that. So, I'm gonna assume Gendo, Misato, or whoever didn't tell him, so he obtained the information some other way. If so, the man's in big trouble if someone finds out.

Or maybe they did tell him and I'm just overthinking things. After all, he seems like an important person, despite how he acts.

Usually I'd worry more about something like this, but I stopped giving a fuck a long time ago.

"So, why did you really bring me out here?" I ask the man. "You want to know about where I came from?"

Kaji shakes his head. "No. But, the reason is partially related to that." For the first time, he has a somewhat serious look on his face. "Do you miss your home?"

I blink a few times, surprised at his question. "Of course."

"So I'm correct in assuming that you plan on eventually returning there?"

"Yeah," I then look back at the melon patch. "But, I think I'll miss this place. Grown kinda attached, despite all the craziness."

The man's smile returns as he looks off into the distance. "No doubt you will be missed as well."

I shrug. "Probably. But, I think everyone will be fine without me. Toji and Kensuke can still hang with each other after I've left. Rei has become more open, so I think she'll do fine." I then give Kaji a sly look. "And Misato's got you."

That comment knocked the guy off balance as he eyes widen. It's really satisfying to see that look on his face. Eventually, he's able to compose himself.

"You forgot someone." The man replies.

I'm stumped. "Who?"

His smile returns. "Asuka."

I let out a scoff. "There's nothing to say. She'll be fine that I'm gone. Hell, she'd probably be happy to be rid of me."

"Are you sure," he asks teasingly.

I give him a weird look. "We spent most of our time arguing with each other. It was only recently we started to tolerate one another. What reason does she have to miss me?"

The man's about to reply but his cell phone rings. He looks slightly put off by the device, but answers it anyway. He spoke to the person on the other end of the line in two syllable words before hanging up.

"Looks like our time is up," says the man. "Ritsuko wants you to undergo your sync test."

I sigh then start walking. "Well, I better get going."

The man nods. "Well, this was a good talk. Let's do this again sometime."

I nod slightly. "Sure."

After I got into my plugsuit and entered the testing area, the sync test began. I tried, really I did, but I couldn't get the same score I got last time. Connecting with the Eva felt a little too similar to being inside the last Angel. It brought up unpleasant thoughts which obviously affected my sync ratio. Luckily, the sync test was shorter than usual, but it came as no surprise when it was reveal that my score had dropped. Misato, thinking I was feeling down, tried to encourage me, saying I'll get a better score next time. I waved off her concern, assuring her I didn't really care about my sync score.

What surprised me though was Asuka's reaction. Instead of being happy she surpassed me, she was upset! She was glaring at me and demanded to know the reason behind my "poor performance". I guess she's upset because she thinks I let her win? I don't know. Anyway, I took this opportunity to tease the redhead, accusing her of "caring for me" and "getting soft on me". She became flustered and tried to strangle me. I ran circles around her, continuing to tease while she yelled curses at me in German. Eventually, everything calmed down, and everyone returned home. Still can't get the look on Asuka's face out of my head. It was the funniest shit I've ever seen.

I think I'm gonna miss messing with her.

* * *

Leaning against the fence which surrounds the school's roof, I take a bite out of the sandwich I brought for lunch. Meanwhile, I'm giving an armor piercing glare to Kensuke who's currently pacing back and forth, rambling about random military stuff.

"I'm happy you had a ton of fun on you trip," I start. "But why couldn't you tell me in class instead of dragging me up here?"

That seem to stop him from rambling for a bit.

"Oh! Thanks, I almost forgot!" He puts on a conspiring look. "I brought you up here so we can talk about top secret Nerv stuff?"

I roll my head back and let out a groan. "Not this again!"

He ignores my annoyance as he adjusts his glasses. "So, tell me what you know about Unit-03?"

I look back at him then raise an eyebrow. "What?"

"Unit-03!" He says as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. When he still sees the confusion on my face, he gets a inquisitive expression. "You really don't know?"

I shake my head. "But, obviously you have some information on the new Eva, so what can you tell me."

He lets out a sigh as he also leans against the roof's fence. "Not much, which was why I was hoping you'd tell me something. All I know is that the Eva's being moved to somewhere in Japan where tests will be done."

Why does that sound familiar?

"Sounds neat."

His face brightens up. "Wait, if you don't know about the new Eva, then that means a pilot hasn't been selected yet! Michael, maybe-"

"No," I say, immediately shutting him down.

"Wha. . .But you-"

"Don't know what you're gonna say," I continue his sentence while smirking.

He lets out a frustrated groan. "Could you at least try to ask Misato?"

I shrug. "Look, I don't even know if she has that much leeway when it comes to who becomes a pilot." I then look at him dead in the eye. "Besides, like I said, you don't **want** to become a pilot."

Letting out a long exhale he sits on the ground, defeated. That emotion only lasted for about a second before he asks another question.

"Well, did you hear about Unit-04's disappearance?"

I nearly choke on my food! "What?"

The brunette sighs. "Don't tell me you didn't know about that too?"

"I didn't even know there was a Unit-03 until now!" I respond. "Now you're telling me that not only there's another Eva being made, but it just disappeared?! Shit, you'd think Nerv would inform pilots on things like this!"

I shake off my frustration then turn to Kensuke. "What else do you know?"

He shrugs. "That's it. Any other information about Unit-04 has been locked up tight. Not even my dad knows."

That's. . .concerning. What happened to the Eva that Nerv doesn't want anyone to know about?

"Sorry if I'm annoying you with all these question?" Kensuke says out of the blue. "I just. . .really love the idea of being a pilot."

I give him a look then decide to ask. "Why?"

He pauses, then gives a nervous laugh. "I. . .I guess I just want to be a hero. Like the ones I see in anime, or like you."

I'm shocked, but only slightly. I remember him mentioning that he thinks Eva pilots are like superheroes a while ago. So, I decide to respond the same way I did back then. "I'm not a hero."

He shakes his head. "You keep saying that, but everything about you says the exact opposite. You get to ride a giant fighting robot whenever you want. You help save the city against monsters practically every week. And you probably saved the lives of everyone living here! And the best part, is that you so cool about it! You don't brag or seek attention. You just act like all this is not a big deal!"

I shrug. "That's because it isn't."

"See, just like that," he points to me while smiling. "Also, you're just an all around nice guy; your interactions with Rei being the perfect example. Heh, even though Toji and I make fun of you for it. . .we both think that what you're doing for Rei is awesome. Before, no one talked to her. They just sorta pretended she didn't exist. But now, people are willing to hang around her. Hell, I even saw Rei hold a conversation with someone at least once! That's progress!"

He sighs. "I'm not that good at helping people. I don't know why, but I have a hard time taking things seriously. Because of that, it can make me seem. . . callous or weird. *Chuckles* Not really qualities one would find flattering." The guy pauses, then continues talking. "But. . .maybe if I can pilot an Eva and save the city a few times, I'll be more like a hero."

I stare at him for a moment then look at the sky, trying to come up with something to say.

"You don't need some dumb robot to be a hero." I tell him.

"Really?" He responds, humoring me.

"I'm serious," I tell him. "I'll let you in on a secret. I didn't exactly have the best life before coming to Japan." A pause. "It was nothing dramatic like in a comic book, but it did mess me up. And the thing was, getting a giant robot did little to change how I felt about myself."

"But, when I met both you and Toji, something in me changed slightly," I continue, looking back to Kensuke. "You both decided to befriend me, despite what I had done to the both of you. I was confused. . .but grateful. That friendship made some of the hate inside me disappear."

I chuckle. "Guess what I'm saying, as corny as it is, is that you and Toji are the real heroes."

The guy pauses then snickers. "You're right, that was corny."

We both start laughing. When the laughter died down, Kensuke looks at his watch. "Where is Toji?"

"You're right, lunch is almost over," I respond. "Guess he's still talking to the principal."

Just before lunch started, Toji was called to the principal's office. It's been a while, talks with the principle don't usually last this long. Hope the guy isn't in trouble for something.

When class finally started, Toji came back after his long talk with the principle. But, the guy seemed to be in shock. A somber expression painted his face the entire period. The guy would at times stare at his desk, getting lost in whatever thoughts was going through his head. This behavior persisted throughout the entire day.

When school ended, I wanted to talk to the guy but Kensuke quickly informed me that Toji had clean up duty, ergo, he had to stay after school. Only students with clean up duty or had clubs were allowed to stay on campus for an extra few hours. So, I decided to sneak around the campus until Toji was done cleaning up the classroom.

It wasn't exactly hard to stay out of the sights of teachers after school. Most of them didn't try that hard to patrol the campus. Hell, I doubt they're getting paid extra to do so. So, I was quite easily able to sneak around and explore. After a few minutes of pacing about, I spot Toji exit the classroom. But, instead of returning home, he picked up a basketball and walked to the school's basketball court. I followed him.

When at the court, Toji spent the next few minutes taking free throws. The guy's pretty good, cause almost every shot he took made it into the basket. But, he still had that somber expression.

"So, are you winning?" I ask, making my presence known.

The guy becomes shocked and drops the ball to look in my direction. The look of shock turns to bewilderment.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Well, you know, just hanging around."

He gives a flat stare which gets me to laugh.

"Anyway, I just wanted to know if you were okay or not," I say. "You seemed pretty down the entire day."

Toji sighs. "Well, guess that explains why you're here."

"So, **are** you okay?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. I. . .just got a whole bunch of news dropped on me all at once."

I become concerned. "Does it have something to do with your sister?"

Toji picks up the basketball he dropped then shrugs. "A little bit."

". . . Want to talk about it?"

He pauses, sighs, then lets out a tired laugh. "I think you'll figure out eventually."

I go quiet for a moment then smile.

Without saying a word I snatch the basketball out of Toji's hands, shocking the guy.

I start dribbling the ball and give a challenging look. "Well? Are we gonna play or what?"

The shock is wiped from his face, eventually replaced with a smirk. "You sure you know how to play?"

I scoff then point to my skin. "Look at me, and I mean **really** look at me, and ask that question again."

He laughs. "Hey, you said it not me."

I start dribbling the ball and prepare myself for the game. "So, what are we doing after I beat you?"

He scoffs. "I'm going to visit my sister. You're welcome to come along."

I nod and we start playing the game. The match lasted for about an hour before some random teacher scolded Toji and I about playing basketball after school. So, we left to visit his sister. She was the sweetest person I've ever met. Despite her being confined to a bed, she was so cheery. She also kept asking about the Evas, and what it was like piloting them. Guess Toji wasn't kidding when he said his sister was obsessed with giant robots.

When visiting hours were up, Toji and I left the hospital. We talked a bit more then went our separate ways. It was the most fun I had with the guy in a while, definitely will be a fond memory.

It sucks I won't be able to see him again when I'm gone. But, for now, I'll just live in the moment and worry about the future later.

* * *

Author's notes: Yeah, so it's been a while. Around four months to be exact. The reason why it took so long was a mix of me moving, an asshole roommate, and me lacking motivation. But, now I'm back and should be popping out more chapters soon. Also, I loved all the comments I got last chapter. It's nice to know that people are enjoying the story, and the direction I'm taking it in. Also, before I forget, **justsomerealguy** got the name of both the band and the song of last chapter correct, so good on you. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

Chapter 15 Hint: This is less of a band and more of a single person. This was a french composer who was considered the first impressionist composer; this person was also the most influential composer of his era. The name of the song is hinted in the title. For a more obvious hint, the song was based on a french poem which went by the same name.

See y'all in the next chapter. I'm eager to show off what I have planned in the chapters to follow.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: To My Hope I Spoke, Holding a Deep Red Rose

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.**

Television here it weird.

I don't mean weird in a sense that there's wacky shows constantly being shown. I mean, there are a plethora of wacky shows on tv which does add to the weirdness factor, but that's not what I mean. Television here is weird because it makes me ask "Is that war propaganda in my cartoons?"

Seriously, most of what's on tv is related to either war, being a soldier, or The Second Impact. There were shows about how superheroes were created because of The Second Impact, or how "great men" rose from the ashes of such an event. Almost always, these characters were former soldiers who had a strong love for their home country, Japan.

That's another thing I noticed. Most of the shows now promoted complete devotion toward Japan, and praised nationalism. Almost always, other countries were not portrayed in the best light, and Japan was portrayed as the best country in the world.

I mean, I get how The Second Impact changed the world, so it makes sense why it's constantly mentioned in media. But what's the deal with putting down other countries? It like Japan's prepared to go to war with other nations, which doesn't make sense. The world has to worry about Angels, so why antagonize possible allies? Though, unsurprisingly, Japan isn't the only country doing this. A quick search on the internet would bring up articles of countries participating in the world's largest, and most expensive, pissing match.

I'm not upset, or even annoyed. I'm more impressed than anything.

These thoughts were bouncing around my head as I'm sitting on a couch, watching tv while eating cereal. I'm watching an extremely weird show in which I couldn't tell if it was just weird for weirdness sake, or was trying to tell me something. Maybe I'm overthinking things? I have a tendency to do that.

I was so lost in my thoughts, I almost didn't notice Asuka exiting her room and heading to the kitchen. She fixes herself a bowl of cereal, then sits about a foot next to me on the couch.

"Whatcha watching," the girl asks.

"Honestly, I have no idea." I say this as I watch a very muscular, anthropomorphized dog, stuff an ugly anthropomorphic rat into an oil drum. The dog proceeds to kick the trapped rat to the literal moon and does a series of victory poses, followed by a short dance, before the show cuts to commercial.

"Well. . .that was dumb," says Asuka.

"I know," I snicker. "Which is why it's so great."

She rolls her eyes. "Anyway, when did you get back? I didn't see you here after school."

You walked right into that one. "Why Ms. Soryu, don't tell my you actually missed me?"

She gives a disgusted look then grunts. "Just answer the question."

I laugh then take a moment to think. "I think I got home at around nine."

"Why were you out so late," she raises her hand to stop my response. "And don't give a smart ass answer."

I smile then shake my head. "I was just hanging with Toji."

"Oh, is that it?"

"Yeah. What, you thought I was doing something else?"

She looks back at the tv. "I don't know. Just thought you'd be running around with 'Wondergirl'."

"You jealous?" I ask, messing with her.

"Don't start," she responds, annoyed.

I snort out a laugh.

"What could you have possibly been doing with that bone-head to justify staying out so late?" She asks, partially worked up due to me irritating her.

"Well, we played games. Hung out around some parks," I explain. "Oh, and he also took me to meet his sister."

Asuka pauses. "The bone-head has a sister?"

I nod then explain Toji's situation to her. I explained how Toji's sister, who's name I learned was Sakura, had been in the hospital ever since I first arrived to Japan. I explained how Toji pretty much visits Sakura everyday, just to make sure she was okay. That seemed to get Asuka's attention, because she was asking all sorts of questions. Mainly, she asked what it was like meeting Sakura for the first time. I told her that Sakura was incredibly sweet and bubbly for someone who was confined to a bed. I even explained how Sakura told me some funny stories about Toji, much to the guy's embarrassment.

"Sakura also told me of a time she scolded Toji for getting into a fight," I laugh slightly. "Just imagine it, Toji getting reprimanded by someone half his size!"

"Hmmm. Well, you learn something new everyday." Asuka smiles, then decides to ask a question. "Now I'm curious, who did the bozo fight?"

I pause for a moment, just realizing I got a bit carried away. Revealing a nervous smile, I decide to tell her. "Well, based on the details Sakura provided, Toji fought me."

That knocked the redhead off balance for a moment. "Really?"

I nod. "Despite what you think, Toji and I didn't always get along." Thinking back to the hospital, it became obvious that Sakura was completely oblivious to me and Toji fighting, which probably explained why she seemed comfortable around me. Though, I am kinda surprised she doesn't know. I'd thought Toji would've told her since at the time of the fight, we weren't friends. Guess I should be grateful that he didn't tell Sakura.

"We didn't exactly start out on the right foot," I explain. "I admit, it was mostly my fault. I have a tendency to rub people the wrong way when first meeting them."

I can hear Asuka say "Tell me about it" under her breath, getting me to smile.

"Anyway," I continue. "After that fight, and a few other events, we somehow ended up being friends. Don't ask me how that happened. I honestly couldn't tell you."

Asuka becomes silent and stares at me. Upon closer inspection, I notice something. . .off about her. I want to point this out, but a thought pops into my head.

"Shit!"

Asuka raises an eyebrow. "What?"

I face palmed. "I was out so late that I forgot to make lunch for today." I pull my hand down and let out an annoyed groan.

Asuka lets out a short laugh as she walks to the kitchen. Few seconds later, she tosses a small plastic box to me, which I catch.

"What's this?" I ask, inspecting the box.

"Food," she states. "While you were out goofing off, I took the liberty of making both our lunches for school."

I stare at the box for a good minute. "It won't kill me, will it?"

"Don't be a jerk!"

It's at that moment Misato decides to walk into the living room. She's fully dressed in her Nerv uniform and has a purse hanging over her shoulder.

"Are you two fighting again," the woman asks, looking not particularly pleased.

I look to her, then sarcastically say "What else would we be doing?"

Misato sighs. "You know, one of these days that sarcasm's gonna get old."

"It already has," grunts the redhead.

"Anyway," starts Misato. "I just wanted to tell the both of you that I'm heading to Matsushiro for a few days."

Asuka gets a weird expression, briefly looks to me then back to Misato. She looks hesitant about something, but she seemed to move past her hesitation after a long exhale. "Are. . .you gonna meet the new pilot?"

The woman pauses. "Yes. We're gonna have the pilot test out a new Eva."

This must be what Kensuke was talking about yesterday. "Do you know who the new pilot is?"

Misato looks visibly uncomfortable. She quickly composes herself and gives an obviously fake smile. "You'll get to meet the pilot eventually. It'll be a big surprise."

Didn't answer my question but okay.

She prepares to leave before stopping herself. "Oh, before I forget, Kaji will be taking care of you both while I'm gone."

I snort. "What, you don't think we can take care of ourselves?"

"I don't trust either of you not to kill each other," she responds. "So, yes."

Okay, I'll give her that.

Misato bids both of us farewell then walks out of the apartment. Meanwhile, Asuka and I get ourselves dressed in our school uniforms and prepare to leave. I couldn't help but notice how odd Asuka's acting. Ever since Misato mentioned the new pilot, the girl's eyes seemed to glaze over. Like she's not quite all there. Hell, she barely had a reaction when Misato mentioned Kaji was going to babysit us, which isn't like her at all.

Maybe she's nervous about the new pilot being better than her. The girl is competitive after all.

 **. . .**

I'll ask her about it later.

* * *

I sit in my desk and stare at the plastic box Asuka gave me this morning, wondering about the contents which lie inside. Meanwhile, Kensuke's talking my ear off, complaining about how he lost his chance to become an Eva pilot. Somehow (I stopped asking where he got his information a while ago), he figured out that Unit-03's pilot has already been selected.

"Kensuke shut up. I'm trying to find out what's in this thing," I tell the guy.

"How can you be so heartless," Kensuke asks dramatically. "My dreams were just crushed, yet you're worried about what's inside your lunchbox."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but right now I'm trying to figure out whether this thing will kill me or not!"

"Just open it if you're so curious!"

"There could be a bomb in it for all I know!"

"You're being paranoid!"

"Asuka doesn't cook! This could be a trap," I turn to Toji who's casually leaning in his chair. "Come on Toji, back me up!"

The guy has a blank look on his face. It takes a few seconds for him to realize I'm talking to him. "Huh? What?"

I look at him inquisitively. "Hey, you seem out of it. You okay?"

The guy stops leaning in his chair and gives a laugh which seems forced. "Of course! I'm great!"

"Then why did you do that obviously fake laugh?"

He pauses for a moment. "Where's Asuka? First period's about to start."

I'm about to point out he's changing the subject when Asuka suddenly bursts into the room, temporarily drawing my attention to her.

The girl has a frown etched into her face and looks to be deeply in thought. Deciding to speak to Toji later, I question Asuka as she walks to her desk. "What took you so long to get here? We left the apartment at the same time."

The redhead looks to me, then to Toji, then back to me. She deepens her frown then sits in her desk, lying her head on the object.

"I wasn't feeling well," was her response. The desk was muffling her voice, so I had to listen real close in order to hear those words.

This isn't like Asuka at all, but class is about to start, so I decide to just let things be for now.

School went on as normal for most of the day. Of course, the only things which were odd was Toji and Asuka's behavior. Toji always looked so lost or even depressed. Every time I tried to press the guy on whatever was bothering him, he would lie and say everything was fine. As for Asuka, she avoided me whenever she could. At first, I thought I did something to upset her, but that proved not to be the case just by looking at her demeanor. Then, out of nowhere, Toji disappeared. I didn't hear him get called to the principal's office or him asking to leave the classroom. He just. . .vanished.

During one of the breaks, Kensuke also took notice of Toji's disappearance. The thing was, he didn't seem too worried about it. He suspected that Toji ditched school or something. I initially disagreed, seeing as Toji always said he would skip school, but actually never did. But, seeing as Kensuke knows Toji better, plus the guy's weird behavior lately, I guess it isn't too far fetched that he just up and walked off campus.

After my conversation with Kensuke, I decided to go outside for a bit to get some fresh air. There was still a good ten minutes before class would begin again, so that gave me enough time to explore parts of the school campus. During my time out here, I noticed a certain blue haired girl also exploring the campus. This girl eventually decides to sit on a bench and stare off in the distance. She seems to be in deep thought.

I didn't even notice Rei was at school, the girl barely talked to me as of late. Then again, I didn't exactly try to reach out to her either. Every time I'm around her I get this stupid feeling of guilt. I need to stop avoiding her and just talk to the girl, cause frankly, this guilty feeling is getting old. I don't want to ruin our friendship just because I'm too afraid to speak.

So, with this in mind, I walk to where Rei's sitting.

Slowly walking up to her, I notice how peaceful she looks. I almost convince myself not to approach her as to not interrupt her peaceful moment. Shaking those thoughts out, I attempt to find the proper words to throw Rei's way. Eventually, I just decide on just greeting her and seeing where that goes from there.

"Hey," I say then raise my hand in a "hello" gesture.

The girl, suddenly brought out of her thoughts, gives me a bewildered expression. "Hart? It's good to see you."

"Good to see you too," I respond. I then rub the back of my head. "I. . .want to apologize."

Her eyebrows raise slightly. "For what?"

"For the past week." Or, has it been longer than that? "I've been avoiding you. I wasn't doing it on purpose but. . .I'm sorry. Some stupid thoughts were going through my head and-"

"It is alright," the girl responds. "Your experience within the twelfth Angel has affected you greatly. It is understandable that you would feel the need to distance yourself."

"But it's not okay to abandon a friend," I respond. "The truth is, I feel guilty around you. I don't know if the Angel was somehow talking to me, or if I was going crazy. But, it made me question if I really deserve to have you as a friend."

I stop her before she can respond. "I know, it's stupid. But that's how I've been feeling all this time." I inhale deeply before letting out a long exhale. "*Chuckles* Well, now I'm done throwing myself a pity party. I just want us to hang out like we used to. From now on, let's tell each other when something's wrong. No more secrets."

Her eyes widen slightly. She frowns then looks away from me. "Hart, I. . ."

She cuts herself off.

I become concerned. "Rei?"

She remains still for a moment, before suddenly getting to her feet.

"Class is about to start," she says in a monotone voice. She turns away from me. "I must go."

With surprising speed, she jogs to the school building's main entrance.

"Rei wait!" I call out to her, but she's already gone.

"Did I do something wrong?" I ask myself. I then let out an exhale.

Maybe she really was angry I was avoiding her.

 **. . .**

I don't know.

I sit on the bench and shake my head in frustration, wondering how I'm gonna fix things.

"Today is weird," I express. "Everyone's acting weird."

* * *

After school ended, Asuka and I immediately returned home. Upon entering our place of residence, we're greeted by Kaji who was watching tv. I briefly wondered why he was here before remembering what Misato said about us needing a babysitter. The guy was about as lax as expected. All he did was walk around the apartment, ask how me or Asuka's day was, then walk to the apartment's balcony.

During my time home, I took a few moments to work on my homework. For some reason, the teachers decided to overwhelm the class with worksheets. I don't understand why. Maybe they think the class isn't working hard enough? Or maybe they're being dicks. Either way, I had to spend a lot of my time doing homework, so that was irritating. Though, it did serve as a nice distraction from my thoughts as of late.

When it turns six, I take a break from my homework and look to where Asuka's at. She's lying on the floor, face glued to her laptop. She doesn't seem to be doing anything important, so I decide to talk to her a bit.

"Hey Asuka, do you know who new pilot is?"

Upon hearing me, the girl looks away from her device to give me her attention. She displays an odd expression, then looks back to her laptop.

"No," she says shortly.

Okay, this has to stop.

" *Sigh* What is it?"

Her heads snaps back to me, confusion evident on her face. "Huh?"

"What's bothering you," I clarify. "You've been acting weird all day, like you're guilty about something. So, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," she huffs. "You're just seeing things."

"No, something's definitely wrong," I keep pressing. My tone becomes more subdued as I continue speaking. "Remember, what I said a week ago? If there's something you need to get off your chest, then you can talk to me."

Her cheeks turn slightly red for some reason. She scowls then turns her head away from me. "Really, it's nothing. Idiot."

She yawns. "I'm just bored. There's nothing to do around here."

I say nothing for a moment, then made a suggestion. "How about we play some games."

She scoffs. "I already beat you in most of the games I own."

My right eye twitches. "You only beat me because you pick games I don't know how to play."

"Whatever you need to tell yourself," she teases.

I become annoyed. "Whatever, do you want to play a game or what?!"

"Maybe," I can hear the smile in her voice.

"Then let's go! Any game of your choosing!"

She lets out a condescending laugh while getting to her feet. She looks to me and gives an expression which radiates confidence. "Well if you're in such a hurry to lose, you only needed to ask."

I narrow my eyes, then give a challenging smirk. "Just get the game, I'll grab the controllers."

She snorts while going to her room to grab a game. I go to the tv, set up the game console then plug in the controllers. Moments later, we're sitting on the couch, playing some obscure fighting game. In that game, you play as some giant robots, because of course Asuka would choose a game like that. Asuka then spends the next hour kicking my ass until she got bored. So, we switched to playing some other games she had. I didn't fare any better to the other games she brought to the table. In hindsight, it was probably unwise of me to have Asuka choose the games. She of course is going to choose the ones she had the most experience with.

After a while, she got bored of beating me at practically every game she owned. We were both at a loss on what to do to alleviate the boredom until Kaji suddenly appeared. Knowing we'd get bored of playing Asuka's video games, the man brought over some old board games. Asuka wasn't too enthused about this, but having nothing better to do, decided to indulge in playing board games.

With it being board games, the playing field was more even. She actually lost a few games, but only a few. She still kicked my ass when we played any game which was strategy related. For example, I couldn't beat her in chess, and I stood no hope of winning in a game called go (a game I had no idea how to play). Kaji even joined in a few games before having to take a phone call. Despite the redhead being adamant that she hated the board games, I could see she was having fun. We continued playing games until around ten, when Asuka decided she was tired. We both bid each other goodnight as she went into her room to sleep.

I put away all of the board games and prepare to go to bed. Before I can get to my room, I hear Kaji call out to me.

"Hey Michael, can I talk to you for a second," asks the man.

I let out an annoyed grunt. I really wanted to go to bed.

"Sure," I say as I walk back to the living room. I see the man looking out the window. Walking up to him, I look out the window as well, seeing how the city lights outshine most of the stars in the sky.

"You know, I couldn't help but notice how much you enjoyed Asuka's company," Kaji teases.

I roll my eyes. "Is that all you wanna talk about?"

He laughs then shakes his head. "No." He turns his head to me. "So, any luck on you returning home?"

"Kinda." I wanted to be vague about mentioning my home, just in case Asuka was listening. "Ritsuko found a. . . 'thing' which could help me get home. But she hasn't got it working yet."

"Hmm," grunts the man as he looks back out the window. "When did the good doctor say she'll be able to get this 'thing' working?"

I pause, trying to bring up the memory. "About a year."

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and guess it was a conservative estimate."

I shrug slightly. "More or less."

"Michael," he says steadily. "There's a possibility it could take much more than a year for you to return home."

"I've. . .taken that into consideration."

"Have you?" Kaji questions. "It could take two years, a decade, or even longer for you to finally be able to return home." He glances at me. "Let's pretend we know for certain it would take, oh I don't know, twenty years for you to return home. In this situation, what would you do during all that time? Would spend all that time longing for home, waiting for your journey to finally end? Or, would you make the most of what you have now?"

I don't say a thing.

For most of my time here, I've only thought of two possibilities. Either I'm stuck here forever, or that I'll escape from this place eventually. When Ritsuko showed me that wormhole, I began leaning toward the latter of those possibilities. But, I never gave much thought on how long it could actually take to return home. Will I still be fourteen when I go home, or will I be an old man when I finally get the chance? If it's the latter, what will I do for all those years? Will going home be worth it after all that time?

I can feel my lips twist into a frown.

"I guess," I start. "I'll do what I've been doing. Roll with the punches, and take things one step at a time."

Though I hope it would never come to that.

The man nods, seemingly satisfied with my answer. "On the other hand, what if you were told that tomorrow, you could return home? What would you do if that was possible?"

I take a moment to think. "Well, of course I'd be happy, ecstatic even. Even though this place is growing on me, I'd be lying if I said I'd chose here over home." A pause. "But, I would take my sweet time actually leaving."

I look to the man. "Why are you asking all these questions?"

The man smiles. "Just curious." His smile turns mischievous. "Asuka has also taken a liking to you."

I scoff. "You're doing it again."

His smile widens. "Doing what?"

"That," I point. "Just, casually slipping Asuka into the conversation. Like you're trying to set me up with her."

"So what if I am," he casually asks. "Would it be such a bad thing? You both are getting along pretty well."

"We just came to an understanding," I say, crossing my arms.

He shakes his head. "I'm not so sure it's just that. *Chuckles* Recently, her. . . 'affection' for me has started to become tame. I'm starting to think you might be the cause of that."

"What, you miss how she use to grab onto you like a spider monkey?" I mock.

He laughs. "Not exactly." His smile changes. The bravado which is usually shown in that particular expression slowly changes into something warm. "It's just. . . nice to see Asuka happy. And I mean really happy."

He closes his eyes and chuckles. "She doesn't have a lot of people her age she can talk to. She always had this habit of pushing away anyone that tried to get close to her. I guess it was her way of proving that she was independent. That she didn't need anyone to help her get through life. Even when she did manage to snag a friend or two, she tried to keep them at arm's length. It also didn't help that everyone became cautious around her due to her explosive personality." His smile widens. "But, you're different. From day one, you never backed down whenever she presented a challenge. If she did something you disagreed with, you called her out. When she argued, you argued right back. You always stood your ground and challenged her way of thinking, which is why I think she has taken an interest in you. That, and due to recent events, makes me think that you might be able to help the girl. Heh, god knows I'm ill equipped to help her."

Kaji fully turns to me. "Michael, thank you for being patient with her."

I become slightly embarrassed and reveal a nervous smile. "I don't know about me being patient with her. We've fought a lot."

"True. But, there were many times when you've tried to understand Asuka. You never completely wrote her off as a 'lost cause'. You talk to her, and listen to what she has to say. You help her, even when she refuses help. The best part is that you do all this not because you're forced to, but because you genuinely care about her. Even though you won't admit it."

I become flustered. "I think you're looking too deep into things."

The man gives a sly smirk. " 'If there's something you need to get off your chest, then you can talk to me.' Sounds familiar?"

I become even more embarrassed as the man directly quotes me. "You know about that?"

"I overheard you two talking in the living room earlier." The man laughs. Suddenly, the man's smile turns into a slight frown. "Michael, I need you to do me a favor. I need you to always be there for Asuka, for however long you remain here. Be it a year, a decade, or even a day, I need you to be right by her side. *Sigh* I know this is a lot to ask, after all, you're just a child yourself. But, I need you to do this." The man once again looks out the window. "There. . .might come a time when I won't be around."

That's. . .ominous. What does he mean by that?

"S-Sure. I guess I'll try," I respond, slightly awestruck. "But, what did you mean by-"

"Why, won't you look at the time," he says as he pulls a pocket watch out of nowhere. "I've been talking for a while. I nearly forgot about a meeting I needed to attend."

The man quickly says goodnight as he walks out the front door before closing it. I just stand in the living room, wondering what just happened. Eventually, I shake myself out of that state then went to my room to sleep. Throughout the entire night, Kaji's words echo in my mind.

How did it come to this?

* * *

Kensuke and I stand at the school's balcony, just enjoying the view. Well, I'm enjoying the view. Kensuke's still sulking over the fact that he's never gonna get his own Eva. The guy fully understands the dangers of actually piloting, but he just can't get the heroic idea of piloting out of his head.

"You could at least pretend you care," Kensuke says, slightly annoyed at my lack of empathy.

"That would be dishonest," I respond.

He huffs in frustration. "Yeah, yeah, I get you don't like piloting that much. But, I just wanted to try it at least once."

I chuckle. "Maybe I'll ask Ritsuko to throw you into one of the simulations. Maybe you'll get an idea of what it's really like."

The guy's eyes become dinner plates. "Really?!"

I was joking, but when I really think about it, that might actually be a good idea. "Sure. Just got to talk to Ritsuko."

The guy pulls me into a big hug, something I never expected from him. "Thanks man! You're the best!"

"Yeah, I know," I push him slightly, not really liking hugs. "Now get off."

The guy does as he's told, but I can't help but smile at his enthusiasm. My smile turns into a frown as a thought pops into my head. "Have you heard from Toji yet?"

Kensuke shakes his head. "Not yet. It's like he disappeared off the face of the Earth."

I sigh. "That's just great. Man, everything's been weird lately."

"How so?" Kensuke asks.

I look at him. "Well other than Toji's disappearing act, Asuka's been acting weird, Rei's been avoiding me since yesterday, and last night someone talked to me like he was on his deathbed."

"Hmm, yeah that is weird."

I exhale as I lean on the railing then put my head on my arms. "Question, you know about a man named Kaji?"

"No. Why?"

"Never mind." I feel completely drained. "Just thought I'd get better insight on that man."

I pause for a moment, then speak again. "Are you worried about Toji? Like you said, it's like he disappeared off the face of the planet."

Kensuke snorts. "I'm not worried. Sure, it's a little weird he disappeared without telling anyone, but I'm sure he's doing fine. Watch, tomorrow he's gonna come to school and tell us some wild story."

I exhale slowly, then stare into space. "One can hope."

A few seconds later, my cell phone vibrates. Taking it out of my pocket, I take a look at the device. After reading the message, I bid Kensuke farewell, then ran out of school.

Maybe killing an Angel will clear my mind.

Upon arriving at Nerv, me and the rest of the pilots were immediately put into our plugsuits then briefed on the mission. Since Misato and Ritsuko weren't here, Vice Commander Fuyutsuki was the one giving the mission briefing. Turns out something, presumably an Angel, caused an explosion at the testing facilities in Matsushiro, and is heading straight for Nerv. Hearing that immediately got me concerned. Didn't Misato say she'd be there to meet the new pilot?

I've tried asking the Vice Commander about Misato, but he said communication was lost with the Matsushiro base, so the status of everyone stationed there is unknown. That made me even more concerned, but Fuyutsuki gave little time for that emotion to sink in. He swiftly gave me and my teammates our orders. We were to spread out and observe what was approaching Tokyo-3. Should the thing prove itself to be an Angel, we would attack with extreme prejudice. Upon receiving our orders, we headed to our Evas, launched to the surface, took our positions, then waited.

The sun was setting, causing the sky to have an orange tint to it. The comforting mood this time of the day would usually bring is replaced with apprehension. No one knows when exactly the Angel will arrive or what form it would take. So, that made things nerve-racking.

As instructed, I am stationed a few miles away from the center of the city, hiding behind a building. Rei was also hiding behind building a few miles away from where I was. The way she was angled made for the perfect spot to snipe an incoming enemy. Asuka was stationed on the outskirts of the city, meaning she was the closest to the enemy. Asuka being Asuka, was thoroughly pleased about this position. She always loved fighting Angels up close.

Everyone was quiet, holding their breath with anticipation. We usually would know what the Angel would look like by now, though this time proved to be the exception. No one seemed to have gotten a good look at the creature, so everyone's in the dark. That made me slightly jittery. I always found some comfort in know what an Angel would look like before actually fighting it. Guess it helps me know what to expect, even if the Angel ends up displaying bizarre and unpredictable abilities.

When I hear someone reporting that the Angel has been spotted, I prepare for the worst. I prepare for some bizarre monster with several eyes, or weird appendages which acted as arms. However, whatever I was expecting was shot down after getting a glimpse of the creature.

There, walking in the distance with the setting sun at its back, was a familiar humanoid figure. Two familiar large structures sit on top of its bulky shoulders. It has a slim figure, yet radiates an aura of power. Though, its most distinguishing features is the midnight blue armor covering its body, and its glowing red eyes.

It's an Eva. The "Angel" is a fucking Eva!

I hear hushed whispers over the radio. Everyone's probably just as surprised to see such a creature. Rei remains silent, but I can hear Asuka audibly gasp over the radio.

"W-What is this?!" I say, voicing everyone's confusion.

"That is your target," says a familiar, cold voice over the radio. I immediately recognize the person as Gendo. What's he doing here?

Taking a closer look at what I assume is Unit-03, a few memories regarding the machine pops up. All I remember is that it was somehow being controlled by an Angel, but a person was still inside. But, according to what I remember, Asuka's supposed to be in that machine. But, she's in Unit-02 right now. So, who's in Unit-03?

"Who's the pilot?" I ask Gendo.

"That is not important," the man answers. "Right now you need to focus on destroying the target."

I growl. "Heartless bastard, there's a person in there!" I get into fighting position. "Asuka, Rei, try to save the person inside!"

"Ignore that order," Gendo commands. "Treat this Angel as you would any other."

"Get bent Gendo," I reply. You could almost hear everyone in the Command Center gasp. "We're not gonna kill someone who needs our help!"

Asuka's face appears in the corner of my display screen. She has a worried expression. Like, she genuinely looks worried. "Michael, you need to know something before we fight this thing! The pilot is-"

Where her face was is now static. I can hear the girl's screams as she fights off the other Eva. The screams are cut short as I see something rocket into the air. Asuka was just force ejected.

No way! Asuka was beaten in seconds.

I want to yell a command at Rei, but it was too late. The "Angel" somehow immediately detected where Rei's Eva was hiding, and ran with supernatural speed towards that location. It jumped Unit-00 and secreted some substance which caused Rei to scream in pain.

"Unit-00 is out of commission!" I hear a female voice say over the radio.

"Dammit!" I curse while watching the scene unfold.

The Eva turns its head to me, and walks slowly in my direction. Its red eyes unnerve me as my grip on my rifle tightens.

"Unit-01, you cannot afford to hold back." Gendo still manages to sound calm, despite how much of a disadvantage we all now are in. "This Angel is by far the most dangerous you've encountered. If you hesitate even for a moment, it will kill you."

As the Eva comes closer, the fear in me becomes slightly stronger. That thing took out Asuka and Rei in mere seconds. How can I stand up to that?

Still, despite all the fear, I stand my ground. My heart beats a million times a second as a nervous, yet feral, smile carves its way onto my face.

"How about is?" I command my Eva to raise its rifle toward the approaching enemy. "I kill the 'Angel' **and** save the pilot inside!"

"Don't be foolish," the man starts. "It-"

"Sorry, can't hear you over the sound of me not giving a fuck!" I respond as I ready myself.

The opposing Eva, now within walking distance, seemed to have noticed my renewed confidence. It lets out an animalistic growl while I narrow my eyes, my smile becoming more prominent.

"Come on!" I yell at the creature.

"RAAAAHHHH! ! !" the thing roars in response.

I pull the trigger on my rifle and shoot a few rounds at the "Angel". The bullets seem to stun it, but other than that, it's unharmed. The creature roars again as it crouches, then charges at me. Thinking quick, I run then vault over the creature while at the same time tripping it up with my umbilical cable. When it lost its balance, I use all my strength to smash the butt of my rifle against its skull. This action manages to knock the opposing Eva to the ground before it rolled onto all fours.

The thing hisses at me as it raises one of its arms in my direction. Its arm then jets towards me, as it it were made of rubber!

"Crap!" It's too fast, I can't dodge it!

I raise my rifle to block the attack. The gun took the brunt of the assault, but the arm continues to push me with a great force, slamming me into a building! Pinning me there!

The rifle's now in pieces as the creature's arm lies on my Eva's mangled chest. Pain radiates from that area, telling me the creature severely wounded Unit-01.

The "Angel" lets out another roar as it stretches its other arm, this time aiming for my neck! I manage to command my Eva to kick the speeding limb away. I pull out my Progressive Knife and begin sawing the arm keeping me pinned to the building. The "Angel", now in pain, pulls its arm away, freeing my Eva. I gain some distance and use my now found freedom to catch my breath. The offending Eva clutches the arm I tried to saw off before letting go of it as the limb begins repairing itself.

Wish Unit-01 could do that.

It rushes me, this time running on all fours as if it were some animal. Quickly devising a plan, I put away my knife then eject my umbilical cable. Clutching the cable with both hands, I charge at the offending Eva. The creature once again stretches its arms to grab me, but I'm able to dodge the attacks and tackle the creature to the ground. We get into a grappling match for a moment before I'm able to get on its back, then begin wrapping the umbilical cable around its neck. The offending Eva, realizing what's going on, starts clawing and kicking at me, but it's too late. I begin tightening the makeshift noose around the creature's neck as it continues to struggle.

I have about three minutes of power left, so I begin devising the second part of my plan.

"Sorry, about this," I apologize, just in case the pilot can hear me. I have Unit-01 hold the cable in a weird way so it could use its free hand to pull out the Progressive Knife. With knife in hand, I aim for the part of the spine where the entry plug would be.

"There!" I stab at the spine, and begin digging around. The "Angel" begins screaming in a mix a pain and anger. I keep hold of the cable, and continue digging for the entry plug.

Two minutes of power left.

I can almost reach the entry plug! There's a butch or weird material growing around it, but in a few seconds, I'll be able to save the pilot!

"RAAAAAAHHHHH! ! !" The creature bellows.

Two arms suddenly grow out of its back, pushing me off! I roll for a bit before getting back to my feet. I watch in horror as the offending Eva now has four arms. Its armor pops off, revealing brown, scarred, skin. Suddenly its neck pulsates at its red eyes widen.

"KYAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! ! ! !" The creature lets out an ear piercing scream, destroying the street, buildings, and anything else which lies in its path. The sudden air pressure the scream creates hits my Eva, knocking the wind out of me, and tossing me literally half way across the city!

When I land, the impact knocked the wind out of me a second time. The surrounding buildings, as well as the street, were obliterated due to my landing. I didn't bother waiting to catch my breath as I get to my feet and immediately request for HQ to get me a new umbilical cable. Within seconds, a building opens up, I grab the cable inside, and plug it into Unit-01.

"Unit-01, report!" Gendo commands.

"I *huff* think we have a problem," I respond, winded. The battle barely lasted five minutes, and I'm already tired!

"I can see that," the commander replies. "Did you succeed in freeing the pilot?"

"No," I reply shortly.

"I see," says the man. "You will be provided with another weapon shortly. This time you will follow orders and destroy the Angel without hesitation."

I see the "Angel" in the distance, walking slowly in my direction. Its eyes are completely fixed on me. I can feel nothing but hate radiate from the creature.

"Can't do that," I reply. "There's someone still in there, I can't risk killing the pilot." I let out an exhale. "We need to retreat and come up with a plan of attack."

"That option isn't available," the man reasons, sounding slightly frustrated. "The Angel will not sit idly by while you lick your wounds. The only correct course of action is for you to stop holding back and finish this."

"Not gonna happen," I tell the man.

"I don't have time for this," I heard Gendo mumble. "Shut down Unit-01's synchronization circuits and switch control over to The Dummy Plug!"

Wait! The Dummy plug? Why does that-

Oh shit! No, he can't do that!

There was a brief argument between Gendo and the staff about using The Dummy plug, but eventually the staff gave into Gendo's demands.

"Wait! You can't do that! Stop!" I practically pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears.

Unit-01 briefly shuts down before starting up again. The entire entry plug turns red, signaling I have no longer have control over my Eva.

Unit-01 lets out a roar as it charges into battle without my input. The enemy Eva jets two of its four arms at Unit-01 and succeeds at grabbing the machine's neck. The multi-armed creature starts squeezing as it prepares its other arms for an attack. Before the creature could do that, Unit-01 grabbed the arms around its neck, then proceeded to snap them like twigs.

"RAAAAHHH! ! !" the opposing Eva screams in apparent pain. But Unit-01 wasn't done yet.

Unit-01 once again charges at the "Angel", and this time succeeds at tackling it to the ground. Unit-01 then, like an animal, starts tearing bits of the opposing Eva to shreds! At one point when the "Angel" tried to retaliate, Unit-01 ripped the creature's jaw clean off!

"Stop it!" I scream at Gendo!

Unit-01 tears off one of the creature's arms.

"Stop it! ! !" I yell at whoever could hear!

Unit-01 digs into the creature's stomach, and pulls out what looks to be intestines!

"STOP! ! !"

Unit-01 pull's it's right arm back, prepared to deliver the finishing blow!

"I said STOP! ! !" I yell at Unit-01.

I don't know if I was seeing things, but briefly, something which looked like flames surround my body. That put me in immediate pain, but I push through it and try to force my will into Unit-01.

I hear something which might have been a girl screaming before Unit-01 stops what it's doing. Control is now fully in my hands.

"What?!" says a shocked Gendo.

My head feels woozy, yet at the same time, I'm full of so much rage.

"Gendo," I say in a dangerously calm voice. I almost couldn't recognize that it was me speaking. "Stay out of this!"

Looking at the fallen form of the opponent, I see how much damage Unit-01 really did. The creature's jaw is missing, one of its arms are torn from the sockets, and its intestines are in full view.

I get a little sick looking at the thing. I always compared the Eva to a robot, but when I really think about it, that's not really accurate. They're giant living creatures which can be controlled with the mind. This horrendous sight is just a reminder of that.

Despite me not liking that Gendo took control of my Eva, it did stop the other Eva. Just hope the pilot inside didn't feel anything when his Eva was being torn to shreds.

Just as I reach down to try to extract the entry plug, a sharp pain once again radiates across my chest. It took a moment to realize, but I noticed the one of the "Angel's" arms is now stuck inside of Unit-01's chest.

"Oh."

The creature lifts Unit-01 into the air, using the arm still stuck inside the machine. This multiplies the pain, causing me to scream until my voice has gone hoarse. The creature then throws Unit-01 to the ground, forming a crater. I didn't have the strength to get back up as Unit-03 crawls over my fallen form.

The creature briefly looks into Unit-01's eyes and somehow smiles, despite it missing a jaw. Maybe I'm imagining things. It raises all its arms, and they change into something resembling spears. Using these transformed appendages, it stabs me multiple times! The pain was so intense, I couldn't muster up a scream.

It raises an arm, aimed directly for the head, and strikes.

Time slows as my mind fully processes what's happening. This thing is trying to kill me. It's not trying to fight me, it's trying to kill me! I might actually die in this battle. That's not something I really took into consideration since. . .the last Angel.

No. No! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Not like this!

A mixture of fear and rage pulsates throughout my body, giving me a sudden boost in strength!

"RAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! ! !" I bellow, blocking the attack with my left arm. Then, with all the power I could summon, I drive my right arm into the upper part of the opposing Eva's chest. My arm shatters its spine and exits through its back. I couldn't help but smile at the sudden change of events.

I won.

That smile is wiped away as I felt something in my hand being crushed. I didn't bother looking, for I already knew what was in my hand.

The pilot's entry plug.

* * *

The sun completely sets over the horizon, turning the orange sky into a dark blue. I continue sitting in my entry plug, staying completely still. Everything in the Eva except the life support is turned off. I did this so I could be alone. So no one could talk to me. I still left the radio on, to hear whatever was reported on the outside. But, I never responded to anyone who tried to contact me. I just remained quiet.

For an hour, I've been in here.

For an hour, I've cursed myself for killing the pilot I was suppose to be saving. And make no mistake, the pilot is dead. The way I crushed the entry plug insured that. The crushed object lies in the open palm of Unit-01's hand, which is currently resting on ground. I can see Nerve employees using the Eva's palm as a platform while attempting to open the mangled entry plug.

Even though almost everything in the Eva's turned off, I can still feel the capsule in my hand. I can still feel the emotions which ran through me when I killed the pilot. First, relief. Then, realization. Then a bit of horror. Finally. . .nothing.

That's the worst part about all of this. That even though I took another person's life. . .I feel nothing.

I curse myself, beat myself up for killing another human being, yet in the end, I feel empty. I feel guilty, but not for the killing. I feel guilt over the fact that I **don't** feel guilty. Yet, despite all of this supposed guilt, all of this time beating myself up, I still feel nothing!

I should feel something. Why don't I feel anything?!

 **. . .**

Maybe that's why I locked myself in here. I don't want to have people see me stoned face over this situation. I don't want them to know that I'm numb to another person's death.

I don't want them to see how fucked up I am.

I look back to the twisted capsule that the Nerv staff are trying to open. I almost wonder what was the point of them even trying. All they're going to find is a mangled body.

The radio comes on again. I momentarily prepare to ignore the person on the other end, just in case they want to talk to me. But, a familiar voice pierces through the static.

"Michael! Are you okay?!"

My eyes widen. "M-Misato?"

"Yes it's me," she replies, sounding relieved she could hear my voice.

"You're okay," I say, almost disbelieving. "I heard you were caught in an explosion! I nearly thought you were-"

"I'm fine Michael," she assures me. She pauses then asks once again, this time slowly. "Are you okay?"

I pause. I can feel my heart trying to burst out of my chest. My stomach drops as heat grows behind my eyes, making them water.

"N-No," I answer truthfully, voice shaking.

"Michael," she sounds worried. I can hear that she's about to cry. "I. . .I heard about what happened. I want you to know it's not your fault."

For the first time, tears are starting to roll down my checks. The tears dissolve into the LCL as I put my head in my arms.

I can't face her! Not after what I did! Not after not feeling a single ounce of guilt over what I did!

This time, Misato's full on crying. "I'm so sorry Michael! I was going to tell you but, I was just so scared about how you'd react."

I raise my head, surprise painting my face.

"W-What do you mean?"

"I'm so sorry," she repeats, sobbing. "The one inside. . .that Eva is. . .is. . ."

Just as she was speaking, the Nerv staff were finally able to open the mangled entry plug. I see some of them get sick at the sight of what's inside as others work on recovering the body.

I don't know why, maybe a sense of morbid curiosity, but I enhanced the image to see who was the person they were carrying out. I just, need to know who I killed.

The lower half of the person's body is completely missing, so I try not to focus too hard on that. The eyes are bulging, and look like they're made of glass. The person is wearing a plugsuit which looks similar to my own, but instead of being purple, it was a dark blue color. He has slightly spiky, unkempt hair which looked all too familiar.

Despite the condition of the body, I immediately recognize who that person was.

"Toji." There was no emotion in my voice. It was just. . .empty.

* * *

Author's Notes: Told y'all I'll be popping out chapters soon. Anyway, I've been wanting to write this chapter for a while, so I was really excited to finally finish it. Just hope my efforts are reflected in the quality of the storytelling. Anyway, both **justsomerealguy** and **Thomas Drovin** got the name of the composer right in the last chapter. That was. . .quicker than I expected (then again I left a big hint). Hell, **justsomerealguy** even guess the song's title in such a short time, though I expected for him to use the English title, not the one in French. Well color me impressed. Congratulations on guessing the composer's name, and the name of the song.

Chapter 16 Hint: This band was formed in 2005 and is apart of the ambient rock genre. The title of this chapter is partially in reference to the lyrics of this chapter's song; guess the lyrics and you'll most likely find the song.

See y'all in the next chapter.


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